Filmmaker Ben Masters’ latest documentary, which traces the Colorado River from its headwaters in the Rocky Mountains to the deserts of Mexico, premiers next week in Austin.

“The American Southwest,” a full-length feature film, chronicles life and death along the 1,400-mile waterway, as it transitions from forests and canyons to diversion tunnels and irrigation canals. The Colorado, the most litigated river in the world, provides water to more than 40 million people.

The documentary makes its debut Thursday, Sept. 4 at AFS Cinema,6406 Interstate 35 in Austin. It opens in theaters around the Southwestern United States on Friday, Sept. 5.

Masters teamed with American Rivers, a non-profit organization that works to restore and protect wild rivers, on the project and its call to action.

Quannah ChasingHorse narrates the film, which also features the artwork, architecture and culture of indigenous people who have lived along the Colorado River for generations.

Watch the Official Trailer here, and click here to buy tickets for showings at local theaters.

Three special screenings that will include Q&A sessions with Masters and Matt Rice of American Rivers are planned for Texas.

• San Antonio – Wednesday, Sept. 10

• • Happy hour: Santikos Palladium Café, 5 p.m.
  • Film: Santikos Palladium, 6:30 p.m.

• Dallas – Thursday, Sept.11  

• • Happy hour: Londoner Pub, 5:30 p.m. 
  • Film: Angelika Film Center, 7 p.m.

• Houston – Friday, Sept. 12

• • Happy Hour: Goode Co. Kitchen & Cantina, 5:30 p.m.
  • Screening: River Oaks Theatre , 7 p.m.
  • Bonus showing: a sneak peak of Master’s next film, a sequel to 2022’s “Deep in the Heart: A Texas Wildlife Story.”

Masters is best known for his most recent film, “Deep in the Heart,” narrated by Matthew McConaughey, which highlights the wildlife of Texas, from black bears to mountain lions.

He made two earlier films, “The River and the Wall” which follows five friends who ride horses, bike and paddle1,200 miles from El Paso to the Gulf of Mexico, and “Unbranded,” which tells the story of four young men who adopt, train, and ride a string of wild mustangs 3,000 miles from Mexico to Canada.

I spent a day with Masters in 2020, when I crawled through the South Texas brush looking for ocelots with him. Read my story in Texas Monthly here.