Cars moving slowly proceed gently down a long, flat road with farmland on both sides. The procession stops at a country church. People get out of the vehicles and join a service with clapping and lively music. It could be a baptism or wedding, because there are handshakes, smiles, and so many people. But then we see a line-up down the sanctuary aisle to the front. You soon realize they are lining up to pay their respects to the body lying in the open casket.
But no one is showing grief. They are friendly, happy to see one another, and gratefully sending off a loved one to the Promised Land. This is a celebration.
As they travel back in their entourage, a young girl, sitting in the backseat with her grandmother, wants an explanation. She is told, “After you go to sleep ere you sleep here until the Lord calls you up to Heaven.”
This is not only a traditional, faith-based metaphor for death and resurrection, it is a nod to the title, “Seeds.” While a person may “go to sleep (die), they leave behind their children and grandchildren, their seeds, who will keep on with their legacy.
Then Grandma offers her grand-daughter candy from her purse, a kind of communion moment between generations.
The film rambles slowly, exposing the lives of Black generational farmers who have owned centennial farms in Georgia for over a century.
One farmer makes sure he is home at his modest trailer by the time his little grand-daughter jumps off the bus. They both rush from the bus into his trailer where he has been fixing the floor. She’s a happy girl, delighted to be with her grandfather. He wants her to go to college and then get married someday.
This film gives us a snapshot of life in a Black farming community. They are hard workers, sustained by family connections and deep friendships that go back in time.
As it bore on, I kept wondering what other purpose this documentary might have. Does it have a story, a plot, or some greater purpose?
And then it came. We have been witnessing the challenges of these farmers. They live simply, it seems just scraping by. But then we learn that the US government has designated financial assistance to help American farms stay alive and productive.
Naively, I am shocked when these farmers travel to Washington DC to ask why white farmers received these Congress-allotted subsidies in time to buy seeds and prepare their next crop.
On the top 15 Oscar nomination list for Best Documentary, the answer, and the now obvious double entendre of the title, prove good enough for the price of the ticket to this subtle but informative work of art.
Credits
Director: Brittany Shyne
Producers: Brittany Shyne, Sabrina Schmidt Gordon and Danielle Varga
Featuring: Carlie Williams, Willie Head Jr, and Clara Williams
Cinematography: Brittany Shyne
Editor: Malika Souhali-Worrall
Music: Robert Aiki Aubrey Lowe
Release: Jan. 16, 2026 (Limited)
Official website: https://www.seedsthefilm.com/
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