Sigma Delta Pi, TAMIU’s chapter of the National Collegiate Hispanic Honor Society, and the university’s Student Environmental Association will present a screening of the acclaimed film, The River and the Wall, January 30 at 6 p.m. in Student Center 236.
There is no admission fee, and the screening is open to the public.
The film charts the 1,200 mile journey of five adventurers down the Río Grande from El Paso to the Gulf of Mexico, capturing the rugged landscapes of this vast frontier before the controversial construction of a border can change forever the magnificent riparian ecosystems and wildlife habitat of the river.
The crew — Texas filmmaker Ben Masters, Brazilian immigrant Filipe DeAndrade, Texas conservationist Jay Kleberg, wildlife biologist Heather Mackey, and Guatemalan-American river guide Austin Alvarado — began the trip in El Paso on mountain bikes. Their path took them on horseback through the Big Bend, down the wild and scenic stretch of the river in canoes, and back to bikes from Laredo to Brownsville. They paddled the last ten miles through a forest of river cane to the Gulf of Mexico.
As they made their way to the Gulf, they met and talked with the people who know and live on the river — Border Patrol agents, wildlife biologists, ranchers, politicians, farmers, social workers, locals, and travelers. They climbed the existing segments of the border wall in 20 seconds. They encountered rare black bears, bighorn sheep, and birds of all kinds. And they sought to understand the complexities of immigration, the efficacy of a wall, and the impact of its construction on water access, wildlife, and the culture of the borderlands.
The River and the Wall is both a wild adventure on a spectacular river and a sobering commentary on the realities of walling it off.
Ben Masters is CEO of Fin & Fur Films, LLC. He is an award-winning filmmaker, an accomplished photographer, a contributor to Western Horseman Magazine and National Geographic, and the author and producer of the book and film Unbranded. He lives in Austin.
