The University of Houston-Clear Lake’s Office of Student Life’s Film and Speaker Series, in partnership with the Environmental Institute of Houston, hosted a screening Feb.18 of “Seed: The Untold Story” a documentary that follows passionate seed keepers protecting Earth’s 12,000-year-old food legacy.
Directors Jon Bentz and Taggart Siegel, who directed two other agricultural documentaries, “The Real Dirt on Farmer John” and “Queen of the Sun: What are the Bees Telling Us?” have made this film as the final chapter of a trilogy. The three films coming together to collectively unveil the incredible threats industrial agriculture poses to our food system.
This film was made possible by donations on Kickstarter. Kickstarter helps artists, musicians, filmmakers, designers and other creators find the resources and support they need to make their ideas a reality – more than $75,000 was donated to make this documentary.
In the documentary, directors travel the world speaking with farmers, seed bankers, ethnobotanists and naturalists. They tell the history of farming that began centuries ago, sharing how the changes in industrial farming – and particularly the growth of biotech companies like Monsanto and Dow – are damaging disappearing cultures and affecting the health of people around the world.
In the last century, 94 seed varieties have disappeared. A force of 10 corporations controls more than two-thirds of the global seed market, reaping unparalleled profits, and leaving farmers to battle and defend the future of our food.
The farmers in the movie are portrayed as passionate and hard working with a deep connection to the food that sustains us. The documentary depicts farmers from all over the world as slaves to corporations, and it shows how they are forced to pay licensing fees to plant patented crops.
As explained in the documentary, ‘Seeds: The Untold Story’ is, “More than a cautionary tale of ‘man against nature,’ the remarkable story of seeds is an epic ‘good-versus-evil’ saga playing out in our modern lives.” The directors made it a point to go into detail about how corporations have now made seeds private property and introduced genetically modified crops (GMOs) into the hands of farmers and consumers.
This film did a tremendous job of depicting the defining story of seeds and their importance to sustaining life. There was a beautiful use of imagery showing the different types of seeds and what they grow into. Farming may seem simple to the inexperienced, but this documentary reveals the beauty present in seed growing.
Following the film, Kathleen Garland, lecturer in environmental management at UHCL, led a discussion with the audience and answered questions they might have had after watching the film. She informed the viewers of the importance of growing your own garden to avoid eating food that has been genetically tested.
Seeds are, very simply put, life. They are living embryos with a lifespan, and once they disappear they’re gone for good. This is a film worth watching. It is extremely informative. It demonstrates how taking care of and protecting seeds promotes more variety and sustainability for ensuring a never-ending food supply for the future.
