available now

deep in the heart

narrated by matthew mcconaughey

About the film

Deep in the Heart is a visually stunning celebration of what makes Texas unique — its diverse landscapes and remarkable wildlife behavior that cannot be found anywhere else in the world. Told through the eyes of wildlife species ranging from the mysterious blind catfish to the elusive mountain lion, the story follows our ever-changing relationship with the natural world and showcases our ability to destroy, conserve, and recover wildlife and the habitat we mutually depend on.

Narrated by Matthew McConaughey and featuring state-of-the-art cinematography, this family-friendly film journeys from the highest peaks in West Texas, through our aquifers, rivers, and bays, and deep into the Gulf of Mexico. Deep in the Heart aims to conserve our remaining wild places, to show the connectivity of water and wildlife, and to recognize Texas’ conservation importance on a continental scale.

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DIRECTOR & WRITER
BEN MASTERS
Ben Masters is a filmmaker and writer specializing in wildlife and adventure stories. He is most known for directing the feature-length documentary The River and The Wall (SXSW 2019 award winner) and for producing Unbranded (Mountainfilm 2015 Audience Award winner). Masters studied wildlife biology at Texas A&M University and founded Fin and Fur Films, a production company specializing in short films featuring wildlife research, conservation, and activism. He is the author of two books published by Texas A&M University Press and has written for National Geographic and Western Horseman. His films have been distributed on Netflix, National Geographic, STARZ, PBS, and he has worked with The Wildlife Society, Borderlands Research Institute, YETI, Texas Parks and Wildlife Foundation, and other great brands and NGOs. A proud Texan, Masters loves riding a good horse through new country, filming wildlife stories that haven’t been documented before, and using movies to help conserve wildlife and wild places.
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PRODUCER
KATY BALDOCK
Katy is a film producer, writer, and graphic designer based in Austin, Texas. She has a passion for conservation and visual storytelling, aiming to use creative outlets as a tool to advocate for the protection of natural environments and wildlife. She is a proud East Texas native and studied communications, journalism, and art at Texas A&M University. Katy is a Producer for the Texas natural history film Deep in the Heart, was Associate Producer for the Emmy-nominated feature documentary The River and the Wall, Produced American Ocelot, and assists with various production needs for Fin and Fur Films Productions. Outside of work, she’s typically finding ways to get outside in Austin, baking, reading, or exploring Texas and the western U.S.
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PRODUCER
JAY KLEBERG
Jay has dedicated much of his time to creating a campaign to generate awareness for Texas’ most impactful conservation organizations and developing free K-12 educational programming specific to the film. He began working with Fin and Fur when he joined the 1,200-mile excursion along Texas’ Rio Grande River as one of the key characters and Associate Producer of The River and the Wall. Jay previously served as Associate Director and Director of Conservation Initiatives for Texas Parks and Wildlife Foundation. Prior to his work in Texas, he worked in conservation in the Brazilian Amazon and Grand Canyon National Park. Jay is a graduate of Williams College and holds an MBA from the University of Texas. He serves on the board of several land, water and wildlife conservation organizations, runs a private lands travel company, and lives in Austin with his wife and three daughters. Jay knows that to conserve the wildness that draws so many to Texas, we must imagine and invest in a more sustainable and vibrant future.
SKIP HOBBIE
DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY
SAM KLATT
EDITOR
JULI KELLER
ASSISTANT EDITOR
JOSH WINKLER
ASSOCIATE PRODUCER
NOAH SOROTA
ORIGINAL MUSIC
ALEX WINKER
COLORIST
LYMAN HARDY
SOUND DESIGN
CINEMATOGRAPHERS
AUSTIN ALVARADO
RYAN OLINGER
SHANNON VANDIVIER
HAYES BAXLEY
PATRICK THRASH
BRIAN MOGHARI
PETER KRAGH
FILIPE DEANDRADE
CHRISTIAN VON PREYSING
MICHAEL STANGL
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our partners

Thank you to our generous partners who made the production of this film possible
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Deep in the Heart is excited to have Texan by Nature on board as our primary sponsor!

Founded in 2011 by former First Lady Laura Bush, Texan by Nature (TxN) unites landowners, business, conservation, and civic leaders who believe Texas' prosperity is dependent on the conservation of its natural resources. In Texas, our natural resources are finite, but our ingenuity is infinite.

At TxN, we harness that can-do spirit to take care of the land, water, and wildlife that sustain our state’s people, prosperity, and natural resources. We do this by activating new investments in Texan-led conservation, amplifying and accelerating innovations, and connecting partners to the resources they need to succeed. TxN achieves mission goals through the Texan by Nature Certification program, Conservation Wrangler program, Symposia series, and TxN 20.

Learn more and get involved at www.texanbynature.org and follow on Facebook @TexanbyNature, LinkedIn, @Texan by Nature, Twitter @TexanbyNature, and Instagram @texanbynature.