Seeds
Brittany Shyne / United States / 2025 / 122 min
Depicting the lives of black farmers in the American South, this Sundance winning debut film paints a vivid and rich picture of a world in historical transition.
One of the big breakthroughs at this year’s Sundance Film Festival was Brittany Shyne’s debut film, which won the U.S. Grand Jury Prize for Best Documentary. ‘Seeds’ is a lyrical and down-to-earth depiction of life, work and community among black farmers in the American South. The beautiful black and white cinematography has a timeless quality that connects history to the present, but despite its great loyalty to the local communities, it paints anything but a rosy and wistful picture.
Challenged on all sides, the farmers have lost staggering amounts of land to white landowners over the last hundred years. ‘Seeds’ sees the strength in community and professional pride, and has a formidable eye for the small details of everyday life that grow together into a complete (and complex) universe, rich in texture and the feeling of real, lived life.