Featuring a post-screening panel on the topic of Black land ownership and sustainable farming in Texas, in partnership with Black Leaders Collective.

With expressive black and white photography, SEEDS captures the stories of modern Black farmers in the South in poetic vignettes, shot over a decade. Filmmaker Brittany Shyne captures intimate moments of daily life with her characters, including their deep connections to land and community and their struggles to make the economics of farming work in a system that is often stacked against them. Winner of the Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival for Best Documentary Film.

Post-Screening Panel:
Moderator:
Funmi Oguro, AFS Grant recipient and director of the upcoming documentary BLACK FREEDOM COMMUNITIES

Panelists:
Adrian Lipscombe, Chef-owner of Uptowne Cafe and Bakery and founder of the 40 Acres Project, whose mission is to preserve the legacy of Black agriculture and foodways.

Dr. Rowena Dasch, Executive Director of the Neill-Cochran House Museum, and co-author of Reckoning With the Past: Slavery, Segregation, and Gentrification in Austin (2021)

P. Wade Ross, Chief Executive Officer at Texas Small Farmers & Ranchers Community Based Organization (TSFR/CBO), whose core outreach functions to the underserved farmers and rancher’s community are communication, education and training, program delivery & customer service, and outreach research & evaluation.

W. Wade Ross (State Director) and, his wife, Anita Ross (Executive Administrator) founded the non-profit 501(c)3 organization The Texas Small Farmers and Ranchers Community Based Organization (TSFR/CBO) in 1998 while farming and ranching on 120 acres in Bryan, Texas – a legacy from Ross’s paternal grandfather, Jack Ross (a runaway slave from South Carolina in the late 1890’s).

DOC DAYS FESTIVAL PASSES
Purchase an AFS Doc Days pass for tickets to all 10 Doc Days screenings, taking place Thursday, May 1–Sunday, May 4, and receive 15% off the full ticket purchase price. AFS Members receive additional discounts on passes and individual tickets. The Doc Days pass includes one ticket to each Doc Days film screening and the opening night reception.

This project is supported in part by the City of Austin Economic Development Department.