Fin and Fur Films is a Texas-based production company that specializes in wildlife, adventure, and conservation stories. We’re a small and effective team that typically creates 3-5 short films per year and a feature film every 2-3 years. We’ve had the honor to work with numerous conservation organizations such as The Nature Conservancy and Texan by Nature, and our movies have been seen on Netflix, AppleTV, PBS Nature, wide theatrical releases, and international television broadcasts. We are strong advocates for the wildlife in our films and are most proud of our movies when they result in boots-on-the-ground conservation, directly benefiting the wildlife and wild places we all love.
Films
FEATURES
Deep in the Heart: A Texas Wildlife Story
Deep in the Heart is a visually stunning celebration of Texas’ diverse landscapes and remarkable wildlife found nowhere else. Narrated by Matthew McConaughey, the film 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.
The River and the Wall
The River and the Wall follows five friends on an immersive adventure through the unknown wilds of the Texas borderlands as they travel 1200 miles from El Paso to the Gulf of Mexico on horses, mountain bikes, and canoes. They set out to document the borderlands and explore the potential impacts of a wall on the natural environment, but as the wilderness gives way to the more populated and heavily trafficked Lower Rio Grande Valley, they come face-to-face with the human side of the immigration debate and enter uncharted emotional waters.
Unbranded
Four young Cowboys hatch a plot to adopt, train, and ride a string of wild mustangs 3,000 miles from Mexico to Canada through the wildest terrain of the American West. The trip became an epic journey of self-discovery, tested friendships, and iconic landscapes that included runaway horses, a sassy donkey, perilous mountain passes, rodeos, sickness, injury, and death. The Audience Award winner at Telluride Mountainfilm and Hot Docs Film Festival, Unbranded is a soaring tale of danger and resilience, an emotionally charged odyssey that shines a bright light on the complex plight of our country's wild horses.
SHORTS
Jaguar del Cielo
After all native desert bighorn sheep were eliminated from Texas by the 1960s, conservationists began the long fight for their return. Now, after many years of hard work and trial and error, healthy populations roam parts of the state. Return of the Desert Bighorn follows wildlife biologists as they capture, collar, and relocate desert bighorn to restore populations in West Texas.
Jaguar del Cielo follows field tech Felix Tafoya’s journey to better understand and conserve Mexico’s apex predator in the El Cielo Biosphere Reserve in Tamaulipas, Mexico. By catching jaguars and fitting them with GPS collars, Felix and his co-workers are able to track the movement of jaguars and get insights into their mysterious and elusive lives. The information collected from the collars is crucial to better understand the species and to mitigate conflicts with humans, which is imperative for the long-term conservation of jaguars.
Batsies
After all native desert bighorn sheep were eliminated from Texas by the 1960s, conservationists began the long fight for their return. Now, after many years of hard work and trial and error, healthy populations roam parts of the state. Return of the Desert Bighorn follows wildlife biologists as they capture, collar, and relocate desert bighorn to restore populations in West Texas.
Bats are incredible, often misunderstood creatures. They play a large role in Texas’ agriculture economy and food systems, both as pollinators and as natural pest control. Texas is home to more than 30 species of bats, and the Bracken Cave Preserve near San Antonio is home to over 15 million Mexican free-tailed bats—the world’s largest bat colony!
Batsies follows passionate Texas State University female wildlife biologists as they work against the clock to find a way to save bats, all while breaking barriers of their own.
Ranching with Ocelots
After all native desert bighorn sheep were eliminated from Texas by the 1960s, conservationists began the long fight for their return. Now, after many years of hard work and trial and error, healthy populations roam parts of the state. Return of the Desert Bighorn follows wildlife biologists as they capture, collar, and relocate desert bighorn to restore populations in West Texas.
In the brush country of deep South Texas, the United States’ most endangered cat - the ocelot - is making a comeback on a working cattle ranch. Ocelots were once found in an expansive range across the country, but their population has shrunk to fewer than 120 remaining in the wild.
The ocelots’ delicate future depends on Texan ranchers who are actively conserving the land needed for both ocelot habitation and cattle ranching. Fortunately for these cats, the love of the land is strong in the blood of those who work it.
Redfish Revival
After all native desert bighorn sheep were eliminated from Texas by the 1960s, conservationists began the long fight for their return. Now, after many years of hard work and trial and error, healthy populations roam parts of the state. Return of the Desert Bighorn follows wildlife biologists as they capture, collar, and relocate desert bighorn to restore populations in West Texas.
Redfish Revival showcases the fascinating history and remarkable recovery of Texas’ redfish. A popular sport fish on the Texas Gulf Coast, wild redfish were on the decline due to overfishing in the 1970s. A group of passionate Houston fishermen banded together to save redfish, helping pass legislation and implementing crucial conservation efforts.
By 1983, wild redfish population numbers began to rebound significantly, and redfish were designated as the official saltwater fish of Texas. Today, advances in aquaculture and Gulf Coast conservation work have enabled wild redfish populations to thrive again.
Song of the Prairie
After all native desert bighorn sheep were eliminated from Texas by the 1960s, conservationists began the long fight for their return. Now, after many years of hard work and trial and error, healthy populations roam parts of the state. Return of the Desert Bighorn follows wildlife biologists as they capture, collar, and relocate desert bighorn to restore populations in West Texas.
Texas’ coastal prairies once spanned more than 6 million acres, from the southern tip of Texas up along the coast and into Louisiana, but today less than one percent of this habitat remains. This significant prairie loss has devastated many wildlife populations, including the critically endangered Attwater’s prairie chicken (APC). However, after years of conservation efforts, Texas’ APC population is higher than it has been in decades. Watch how The Nature Conservancy is collaborating with landowners and ranchers along the Texas coast to preserve grasslands for people and wildlife.
American Ocelot
After all native desert bighorn sheep were eliminated from Texas by the 1960s, conservationists began the long fight for their return. Now, after many years of hard work and trial and error, healthy populations roam parts of the state. Return of the Desert Bighorn follows wildlife biologists as they capture, collar, and relocate desert bighorn to restore populations in West Texas.
American Ocelot tells the story of one of the most endangered and beautiful wild cats in the country. With fewer than 120 remaining in the US, ocelots are genetically isolated and only exist in Texas. With many factors acting against them, there is still hope for their survival… if opposing parties can come to an agreement on their management methods. Follow filmmaker Ben Masters as he sets out to capture the first ever high quality footage of American Ocelots in the wild and meets with stakeholders along the way.
Researchers capture a wild mountain lion to put a GPS collar on her in order to study mountain lion prey, home range size, and to get a glimpse into the secretive lives of Texas' largest apex predator. The data collected only adds to the mystery. How do mountain lions continue to persist in West Texas where they can be trapped, shot, and killed without regulation?
Lions of West Texas
Researchers capture a wild mountain lion to put a GPS collar on her in order to study mountain lion prey, home range size, and to get a glimpse into the secretive lives of Texas' largest apex predator. The data collected only adds to the mystery. How do mountain lions continue to persist in West Texas where they can be trapped, shot, and killed without regulation?
Texan Wildlife Biologists are fighting for the future of Pronghorn by helicopter netting over 100 individuals, transplanted them to a devastated area, and reestablishing an iconic species in the vast landscapes of West Texas.
Horse Rich and Dirt Poor
Wild horses are caught between an incredibly polarized and emotionally charged debate aiming to write their future in the American West. The result of this debate is a legal stalemate causing wild horse numbers to continue rising well beyond unsustainable levels, causing irreversible damage to public lands. Horse Rich and Dirt Poor follows ecologist Charles Post as he explores America’s pressing wild horse issue and the effects it has on the surrounding ecosystem.
SECOND CHANCE
After all native desert bighorn sheep were eliminated from Texas by the 1960s, conservationists began the long fight for their return. Now, after many years of hard work and trial and error, healthy populations roam parts of the state. Return of the Desert Bighorn follows wildlife biologists as they capture, collar, and relocate desert bighorn to restore populations in West Texas.
Thirty years ago, a pioneering black bear crossed the Rio Grande, made a home in Big Bend National Park, and successfully raised cubs—the first to be born in Texas since the early 1900s! Texas’ black bear population has slowly grown ever since, expanding back into their historic habitat in the deserts of West Texas.
Second Chance follows researchers at Borderlands Research Institute as they study, observe, and celebrate the incredible comeback of this magnificent animal.
A Century Celebration: Texas State Parks
After all native desert bighorn sheep were eliminated from Texas by the 1960s, conservationists began the long fight for their return. Now, after many years of hard work and trial and error, healthy populations roam parts of the state. Return of the Desert Bighorn follows wildlife biologists as they capture, collar, and relocate desert bighorn to restore populations in West Texas.
Texas State Parks, some of our state’s most treasured land, celebrates their 100-year anniversary in 2023. What started as a six-acre donation by Isabella Neff is now a 1.5-million-acre public park system. From the mountains of West Texas to the pineywoods of East Texas, these nearly 90 parks hold a special place in the hearts of all Texans. Here, visitors find solitude, connect with nature and each other, enjoy the great outdoors, and develop a deep appreciation for Texas’ unique landscapes and wildlife.
Return of the Desert Bighorn
After all native desert bighorn sheep were eliminated from Texas by the 1960s, conservationists began the long fight for their return. Now, after many years of hard work and trial and error, healthy populations roam parts of the state. Return of the Desert Bighorn follows wildlife biologists as they capture, collar, and relocate desert bighorn to restore populations in West Texas.
After all native desert bighorn sheep were eliminated from Texas by the 1960s, conservationists began the long fight for their return. Now, after many years of hard work and trial and error, healthy populations roam parts of the state. Return of the Desert Bighorn follows wildlife biologists as they capture, collar, and relocate desert bighorn to restore populations in West Texas.
Texan Wildlife Biologists are fighting for the future of Pronghorn by helicopter netting over 100 individuals, transplanted them to a devastated area, and reestablishing an iconic species in the vast landscapes of West Texas.
5,000 Miles of Wild
2018 marked the 50th anniversary of the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act. To celebrate, American Rivers staff, Senator Tom Udall, Ted Roosevelt IV and others took a four-day canoe trip through iconic canyons of the Wild and Scenic Rio Grande in Big Bend National Park. 5000 Miles of Wild combines stunning scenery with insightful commentary on the state of river conservation, explains the importance of the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act, and provides a powerful call to action for protecting our country’s remaining wild rivers for future generations.
Texan Wildlife Biologists are fighting for the future of Pronghorn by helicopter netting over 100 individuals, transplanted them to a devastated area, and reestablishing an iconic species in the vast landscapes of West Texas.
Selah: Water from Stone
Nearly 50 years ago David Bamberger went public with Church's Chicken and used the capital to purchase 5,500 acres of overgrazed land that was considered some of the poorest acreage in the Texas Hill Country. He devoted the rest of his life to restoring it, clearing overgrown woody vegetation, allowing native grasses to grow, and literally creating Water from Stone. His example of land stewardship has been replicated across the region and he's considered a visionary in land management and water conservation.
Texan Wildlife Biologists are fighting for the future of Pronghorn by helicopter netting over 100 individuals, transplanted them to a devastated area, and reestablishing an iconic species in the vast landscapes of West Texas.
Pronghorn Revival
Texan Wildlife Biologists are fighting for the future of Pronghorn by helicopter netting over 100 individuals, transplanted them to a devastated area, and reestablishing an iconic species in the vast landscapes of West Texas.
This film is about a ten-year-old girl, Sophia, her dad, and their first journey together on the Devils River. See the most unspoiled river in Texas through a child’s eyes as she takes on rapids for the first time and fishes and swims her way downstream. In the process, she learns a little about what keeps the river flowing and about decisions being made today that may change the river she’ll float as an adult. This film marks Sophia’s directing debut, and she describes her short film as, “an adventure filled with wonder, excitement, and unforgettable experiences.”
Me, My Dad, and the Devils
This film is about a ten-year-old girl, Sophia, her dad, and their first journey together on the Devils River. See the most unspoiled river in Texas through a child’s eyes as she takes on rapids for the first time and fishes and swims her way downstream. In the process, she learns a little about what keeps the river flowing and about decisions being made today that may change the river she’ll float as an adult. This film marks Sophia’s directing debut, and she describes her short film as, “an adventure filled with wonder, excitement, and unforgettable experiences.”
Wildlife and the Wall showcases the beautiful landscapes of the United States-Mexico border, discusses what a border wall would impact beyond immigration, and provides a look at how a few wildlife species in the area would be affected.
Wildlife and the Wall
Wildlife and the Wall showcases the beautiful landscapes of the United States-Mexico border, discusses what a border wall would impact beyond immigration, and provides a look at how a few wildlife species in the area would be affected.
Myron Hess fights a battle for Texas river environmental flows that we cannot afford to lose.
Texas Living Waters
Myron Hess fights a battle for Texas river environmental flows that we cannot afford to lose.
Books
