Documentary Short Film, 26 minutes 19 seconds

Synopsis:

In the early hours of July 4th, 2025, catastrophic flash flooding swept through the Texas Hill Country. The river rose more than 37 feet in a matter of hours, and entire communities along its banks were forever changed. The grief that followed reached every corner of the region, touching families, neighbors, and a way of life rooted in the river itself.

In the days that followed, an extraordinary response unfolded. Search and rescue teams, volunteers, and organizations from across the state and the nation converged on the Hill Country to stand with those affected. The river itself bore deep scars: an estimated 52% of riparian vegetation in Kerr County was lost, and roughly 1.8 million cubic tons of debris had to be cleared from its banks.

Hope for the Guadalupe follows the biologists, landowners, and conservationists working together to restore the river through native planting, seed distribution, and long-term land stewardship. Together, the community is coming together to replant cypress, sycamore, and native grasses and sedges that hold the banks in place.

As the land and river begin to recover, so too do the people who call it home.

Please consider a donation to the “Hope for the Guadalupe” River Recovery Fund, a dedicated fund by The Community Foundation of the Texas Hill Country that will support the Hill Country Alliance, San Antonio Botanical Gardens, the Kerr County River Foundation, and the Hunt Preservation Society’s efforts to restore the river. 

Ben Masters

Bio:

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.