Canadian Premiere
Filmmaker and cinematographer Brittany Shyne captures nearly a century of Black farming life in Seeds, a quiet, luminous portrait of family, legacy, and land in the American South. Shot over the course of nine years and drawn from more than 400 hours of footage, the film follows three generations of Black farmers in Georgia and Mississippi, offering a rare look at the daily lives of these stewards of the land from cotton harvesting and cattle wrangling to kitchen table conversations. Through a patient, observant lens, Shyne reveals both the beauty and the burdens of staying rooted.
In 1910, Black farmers owned 16 million acres of land in the US — a holding that has significantly diminished over the past century. Seeds makes visible the enduring structural inequities that affect Black agricultural families, from limited access to credit and subsidies to the fragility of passing land down through generations. Winner of the U.S. Grand Jury Prize at Sundance 2025, this extraordinary debut meditates on inheritance, survival, and the quiet power of holding on.
Grand Jury Prize: U.S. Documentary Competition, Sundance 2025
Media Partner
Belle Williams, Carlie Williams, Ben F. Burkett, Walter Williams, Margaret Williams, Lois Williams
USA
2025
English
Book Tickets
Credits & Director
Executive Producer
Leslie Fields-Cruz
Producer
Danielle Varga, Sabrina Schmidt Gordon, Brittany Shyne
Cinematography
Brittany Shyne
Editor
Malika Zouhali-Worrall
Original Music
Robert Aiki Aubrey Lowe
Brittany Shyne
Shyne is an independent filmmaker based in Dayton, Ohio. Working in the narrative non-fiction form, her work seeks to depict the complexities of everyday life by examining themes such as personal histories, alienation, and cultural modernization. She was the recipient of the 2021 Artist Disruptor Award from the Center of Cultural Power, and has worked as a cinematographer on films such as The Debutantes (Tribeca 2024) and Julia Reichert and Steven Bognar’s Academy Award–winning film American Factory (2019). Seeds is her first feature-length documentary.
Filmography: Painted Lady (2013)
Missing VIFF? Check out what's playing at the VIFF Centre
Mary Oliver: Saved by the Beauty of the World
Sasha Waters' documentary takes us through the life of America's best-selling late twentieth century poet, a private woman who shared her innermost thoughts and made them indispensable.
Schindler Space Architect
RM Schindler is now recognized as one of the most important modernist architects of the era, the man who laid the groundwork for what is now considered the epitome of California indoor-outdoor living. This doc sheds light on a previously unsung genius.
Cookie Queens
A documentary about the annual Girl Scouts' cookie sale is probably not high on your list of must-sees, but don't be too sure — this movie is a delight, a rare celebration of girlhood, supportive family relations, and the art of salesmanship.
A Simple Machine
Cutting costs, swapping four wheels for two, Nick is downsizing to pay off his student debt. It's a path which leads to savings he had not anticipated, even if his girlfriend thinks he's losing it (and she may be right). A lean, low budget gem.
