Premieres Monday, Oct. 26, 2026 at 10 p.m. on KPBS TV / Stream with KPBS+
Brittany Shyne’s documentary feature debut “Seeds” is a love letter to centennial farmers in the American South.
The U.S. Documentary Grand Jury Prize winner at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival is a lyrical and intimate exploration of Black farmers in the American South and the enduring power of land ownership across generations. Shot in black-and-white over seven years, “Seeds” turns its lens on some of the nation’s remaining Black family farms, revealing the history, resilience, and profound sense of belonging rooted in the land with its immersive cinematography and intimate access to the farmers.
The film is both a meditation on loss and a testament to resilience, inviting viewers to consider who gets to own land, who gets to pass it down, and what it means to fight for a future that began generations ago.
At the heart of “Seeds” are three farmers whose lives illuminate different facets of Black land ownership and generational farming. Together, these three stories intertwine to form an intimate portrait of the rural South and the people who continue to shape it.
- In Thomasville, Georgia, 89-year-old Carlie Williams is part of the Kentavia Williams farm, land that has remained in her family since 1883. Once a bustling operation sustained by many hands, the farm is deeply woven into the region's history and community. Through Carlie’s eyes, the film captures the pride and empowerment that have long come with working the land, while also revealing the difficult realities of aging and prolonged illness that threaten the farm's future.
- Twenty-five miles away in Pavo, Georgia, 66-year-old Willie Head Jr. works the 167-acre farm his grandfather purchased in 1938 for $300. Working largely on his own, Willie plants, harvests, and manages every aspect of the operation. His commitment is fueled by a desire to preserve the land for his grandchildren and ensure future generations inherit it.
- In Petal, Mississippi, 72-year-old Ben Burkett, a fourth-generation farmer, brings a different energy to the story. A co-op member of Indian Springs Farmers Association and the Federation of Southern Cooperatives, Ben is an outgoing mentor and connector whose work reflects the communal bonds that have helped Black farmers endure. His story underscores that farming is not simply an occupation, but a network of knowledge, relationships, stewardship, and shared survival.
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Filmmaker Quote: “‘Seeds’ is a deeply moving look at the families who have worked this land for generations and the challenges they face in holding on to it,” said Lois Vossen, an INDEPENDENT LENS founding executive producer. “Brittany brings us close to these families and the lives they’ve built, reminding us that protecting the land is also about protecting the history, memories, and way of life that come with it.”
