In early 2017, Seed Science Center Director Manjit Misra commissioned educational video production company Pierce-Mill Entertainment and Education, LLC, to shoot a documentary on the topic of seed.
“This film has been on my mind for a number of years,” said Misra. “I have always wanted to make a movie that highlights the importance of seed to society and civilization. One that examines the wonder and the beauty of seeds, and shows how individuals have captured the power of seeds to feed billions of people.”
Film Director Walker Lambert, Producer Karolina Jasinska, and Director of Photography John Napolitano began production on the film in April of 2017. The documentary, titled Diversity of Wonder: The Journey into the World of Seeds tells the story of seed development, the diversity of seed use, and how seeds support a diverse number of industries around the world.
To date, Lambert and Napolitano have traveled to India, Zambia, Iowa, and various locations around the U.S. to shoot footage for the film. Still on the agenda is a trip to Ghana before wrapping up shooting in the fall. The documentary is scheduled to be completed in the spring of 2018.
Lambert says that he and his production team have already learned a great deal from shooting the film. “Seeds are at the crossroads of an amazing collaboration between nature and mankind’s inno-vation,” said Lambert. “As Manjit says, ‘Seeds are a miracle of nature and the product of science.’ ”
“It’s amazing how seeds have this amazing potential to solve some of the world’s greatest challenges—around food, nutrition, energy, and industry,” says Lambert. “They are simply exquisite, and the plants that miraculously emerge from these small inert pods are astonishing and wonderful, and so often they’re just taken for granted.”
Lambert and Jasinska hope that the documentary will help the public understand the many ways that seeds impact them. “We want to show people how much our lives are intertwined with seeds, and the immense role they play in our everyday lives, whether you are a farmer or have never once thought about agriculture,” says Lambert. “Day in and day out, even if people completely take them for granted…we hope that people will appreciate the same sense of wonder that we now experience when we encounter seeds.”
A trailer of the documentary Diversity of Wonder: The Journey into the World of Seeds is scheduled to be shown during the World Food Prize 2017 Borlaug Dialogue and at the Seed Science Center in October. The film is dedicated to the memory of former Seed Science Center Distinguished Fellow David Lambert.
Iowa Seed & Biosafety News —10/01/17
