Seed: The Untold Story

Filmmakers Taggart Siegel and Jon Betz's documentary about contemporary agriculture points out that 94 percent of seed varieties have disappeared during the last century, while financially and politically dominant biotech chemical companies such as Dow and Monsanto have taken near-complete control over the nation's seed supply. Seed argues that industrial farming has created environmental hazards while also threatening the health of the population through genetically modified foods and the pesticides used to keep crops free from insects. The film profiles efforts made by small farms to remain independent of corporate encroachment, and it features numerous interviews with experts—including, somewhat surprisingly, primatologist Dr. Jane Goodall—who comment on this state of affairs. Featuring an imaginative visual style and carefully layered storytelling that does not dumb down the complex subject, Seed is presented here both in its full-length version and an hour-long abridged edition. Highly recommended. Aud: H, C, P. (P. Hall)