Texas filmmaker urges for more wildlife conservation in documentary ‘Deep in the Heart’
As a little boy growing up on a ranch in Amarillo, Ben Masters always liked watching when a cheetah would chase down a gazelle on the grassy plains of the Serengeti during a National Geographic wildlife program.
The natural world intrigued him so much, Masters earned a degree in wildlife biology at Texas A&M University in 2011. A few years after serving as a ranch manager in South Texas, he founded Fin & Fur Films, a production company that specializes in films about wildlife research, conservation, and activism.
Now an Austin-based filmmaker, Masters’ most recent project is Deep in the Heart: A Texas Wildlife Story, a documentary on the diverse species and landscapes in the Lone Star State.
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Ben Masters’ most recent project is Deep in the Heart: A Texas Wildlife Story, a documentary on the diverse species and landscapes in the Lone Star State.
Fin & Fur Films
“I thought it was interesting that no one had made a film about wildlife in Texas before,” Masters, 33, told MySA during a recent interview. “We don’t have cheetahs running down gazelles, but we have mountain lions hunting mule deer and ocelots hunting armadillo. We have some of the most remarkable biodiversity on the planet.”
In his documentary, Masters features much of that wildlife — from the endangered blind salamanders found in the Edwards Aquifer near San Marcos to the abundant Mexican free-tailed bats at the Bracken Cave Preserve northeast of San Antonio.
While he tells the stories of these species and explores their diverse habitats, Masters also urges Texans to do their part in protecting the environment.
“I’ve always dreamed about doing a movie like this here in Texas,” he said. “We have a lot of examples of how we’ve made the conscious decision to co-exist with wildlife in the state. We should continue to do that.”
Narrated by Academy Award-winning actor Matthew McConaughey (Dallas Buyers Club), the film also advocates for Texans to take on some of the conservation challenges in the state that threaten wildlife populations and natural habitats, like human population growth and reduced water quality.
“There are many stories of hope in the movie,” Masters said. “There are also stories of great sadness and of dismay because of how we’ve treated wildlife in the past and how we continue to treat some wildlife currently.”
While Masters did not start as a filmmaker, it’s obvious from this documentary and his previous one, 2019’s The River and The Wall, that he has an inherent ability as a storyteller to communicate these nature-based narratives visually.
“What gives me an advantage on making a wildlife film is that I have a background in biology,” he said. “I have an understanding and curiosity and passion to tell these stories that are important to me.”
Masters wants these stories to also be important to others. It’s one of the reasons he made the film. He would like to see more people reach out to some of the nonprofit organizations that amplify conservation throughout Texas, including Friends of Laguna Atascosa National Wildlife Refuge in Los Fresnos; Borderlands Research Institute in Alpine; and the Caesar Kleberg Wildlife Research Institute in Kingsville, among others.
“The challenges in the state are real with human development and climate change and species loss,” he said. “The big goal is to recognize the importance of Texas wildlife, take pride in it, and protect it.”
Deep in the Heart: A Texas Wildlife Story is currently playing in San Antonio at Flix Brew House, Santikos Palladium, Santikos Embassy, Regal Live Oak, and City Base Cinemas.