Mat Hames has spent more than 20 years chasing stories where history refuses to stay buried. His latest might be his most personal yet.

The Austin documentarian’s new film, Home from the Vietnam War, follows decorated Army Lt. Lee Alley back to Vietnam over 50 years after the war. Joined by his friend John Nguyen, who fled the country as a child, Alley confronts wounds he spent most of his life avoiding. The journey leads to one of the war’s bloodiest battle sites, where Alley comes face to face with the Vietnamese soldiers he once fought.

Home from the Vietnam War premieres at Heartland Film Festival on October 16, then screens at St. Louis International Film Festival on Veterans Day. Wyoming PBS will host a special screening with Lt. Alley and fellow veterans the same day. The film streams November 12 on Wyoming PBS’s YouTube channel before hitting national PBS distribution.

Hames has built a quiet but formidable résumé. His work has aired twice on PBS’s Independent Lens, screened at SXSW and Hot Docs, and earned 12 regional Emmys. He was even knighted by the King of Belgium for his World War II documentary Last Best Hope.

While Home from the Vietnam War starts its run, his mountain guide film A Life Outside wraps its own festival circuit. His next projects include a doc on Texas governor Bill Clements and season three of Power Trip: The Story of Energy.

For indie filmmakers grinding it out, Hames proves longevity beats hype every time.