Seeds

Filmmaker/cinematographer Brittany Shyne vividly and patiently captures 100 years in the life of a Black farming family in Thomas County, Georgia from social challenges to financial straits to their dedication to one another. Winner of the U.S. Grand Jury Prize: Documentary at Sundance 2025.In 1910, Black farmers owned 16 million acres of land. Today, that number has dwindled down to a fraction. Interweaving the stories of three Black generational farmers to create a collective and intimate portrait of farming today, SEEDS is a moving and powerful exploration of their lives, joys, and struggles as well as the fragility of legacy and owning land. With remarkable intimacy, the film documents their everyday lives—cotton harvesting, chasing cows, and dealing with broken machinery and financial precarities. But the sobering reality underscores the urgency of their story. The farmers in the community struggle to access funding that white farmers nearby seem to secure with ease. As we see the cycles of inequity and embedded racism that still persist to this day, there are also signs of hope and renewal with younger generations of farmers. SEEDS emphasizes how human beings are innately tied to our foundational roots, roots that carry our ancestral memories—somber, bitter, and sweet.