The Life of Black Farmers
Brittany Shyne was inspired by both her mother’s and father’s sides of the family to create a documentary that highlights Black farmers. For six years, Shyne spent time with multiple Black farmers to show their everyday life, from farming to bureaucracy to the simplicities of life. Through thousands of hours of footage, the documentary SEEDS was created.
SEEDS screened at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival and won the U.S. Grand Jury Prize for documentary.
“I think it was important to do something that not just talked about the strife or the obstacles, but also to understand the importance of legacy and lineage, but also that land and having a home is a sanctuary. It’s a refuge, and I think it was essential to kind of do that with this film,” said Director Shyne.
Shyne began her research by seeking Black-owned centennial farms—families who have owned land for over 100 years.
According to the Census of Agriculture 2022 report, there were 46,738 Black farmers in the United States, making up only 1.4% of all producers.
SEEDS follows multiple Black families, including a Black woman named Clara Williams whose family has owned land since 1883. The documentary shows how most farmers are older; some fear that their land will not be the same once they are gone. According to SEEDS, black land ownership has gone from around 6 million acres to 1 million.
The documentary uses the art of silence to show the essence of Black farmers. The slow-paced documentary takes us through the ups and downs of farming life and what it means to be a Black farmer today.
“How can we leverage [SEEDS] as a tool to make a difference in the issues and the communities that are impacted by whatever issues that are explored in the film,” said producer Sabrina Schmidt Gordon.
Gordon also stated that she hopes to connect with organizations, locals, and legislators to figure out how to elevate the work of Black farmers.
Check out our video interviews from the 2025 Sundance Film Festival here.
This coverage is presented by Visit Milwaukee.
