Seeds are small, but they’re at the heart of a global crisis. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN, 90 percent of the seed varieties that existed 100 years ago are now extinct. Not only that, big corporations have a near global monopoly on seeds. It appears that we’re losing one of our most precious, shared resources.

The documentary Open Sesame: The Story of Seeds explores the current state of seeds and the threats they face. It also goes behind the traditional seed movement, talking with people who are working to ensure that seeds remain a shared resource. The film is rooted in the fact that seeds are the foundation of all life and that to concede control of seeds to corporations is to concede power over our ability to feed ourselves. As Frank Morton of Oregon-based Wild Garden Seed says in the film, “The biggest threat to food security is when we can’t produce our own damn seeds.”

Featuring farmers, renowned activists including Vandana Shiva, gardeners, seed savers and more, Open Sesame brings much needed attention to the current seed crisis and asks the question, if we’re not going to do something to save and protect seeds, who is?

The film is now available for sharing with your community. You can purchase a copy and request a screening at OpenSesameMovie.com. 

To join the movement to protect seed sharing, please sign the Save Seed Sharing petition.

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