Latest news with #Seeds
Scotsman
27-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Scotsman
Celebs share how they plan to remember loved ones this Celebration Day
Lindsey Burrow, wife of late rugby legend Rob Burrow, plants wildflowers in his memory to mark Celebration Day (May 26) | Anthony Devlin/PinPep Lindsey Burrow, wife of rugby league legend Rob Burrow, planted wildflowers today at the National Trust's Quarry Bank to mark Celebration Day this Monday (May 26). Sign up to our daily newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to Edinburgh News, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... It is dedicated to honouring those who have inspired and shaped us long after they've died. Rob Burrow was a beloved sportsman who inspired many with his courage after a 2019 motor neurone disease diagnosis. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad He died in 2024, leaving a lasting legacy of awareness and advocacy. Wearing a Celebration Day star pin badge (available at WHSmith stores across the UK), Lindsey joined staff from the National Trust's Quarry Bank to help launch Celebration Day's free 'Seeds of Memory' wildflower packs. The seed packets are available for free at 94 National Trust second-hand bookshops in England and Wales, giving people a chance to plant in memory of someone special at home. Held annually on the last May bank holiday Monday, and Inspired by traditions like Mexico's Day of the Dead, Celebration Day provides a dedicated opportunity for the nation to celebrate the lives of those who have shaped us - whether through personal connections, history, or culture. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Speaking at Quarry Bank, Lindsey said: 'Planting wildflower seeds at Quarry Bank in memory of Rob to mark Celebration Day has been really special. 'I love the idea behind Celebration Day – it's a gentle reminder to pause, reflect, and celebrate the people who have shaped our lives.' Free 'Wildflower Seeds of Memory 'packs are part of a wider initiative that includes a Celebration Day memorial woodland at the National Trust's Dunham Massey, where over two years, 5,000 trees have been planted thanks to public donations. Later this year, during tree planting season, the conservation charity has invited Lindsey to plant a tree in memory of Rob. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad She added: 'Doing something simple like scattering seeds can open up conversations, especially with children, and help create new memories in their honour. 'Rob always loved nature, and doing something like this – something gentle and meaningful – feels like a really special way to keep him close. 'The kids and I talk about him all the time, and I know we'll be planting more wildflowers together at home on Celebration Day, when Rob will be in our thoughts.' Celebration Day is a national day that encourages people to take time to celebrate the lives of those no longer with us. | Anthony Devlin/PinPep Celebration Day provides a dedicated opportunity for the nation to celebrate the lives of those who have shaped us In addition to collecting free packs of Wildflower Seeds of Memory, other organisations such as WHSmith across the UK are providing Celebration Day Star Pins until June 27. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 100 per cent of profits going to supporting Mind, The Royal Marsden Cancer Charity, Make-A-Wish, and Hospice UK. It comes as a poll commissioned for Celebration Day reveals that one in three Britons feel guilty talking openly about death, fearing they might burden others. Celebration Day is a national day - like Mother's Day or Remembrance Sunday, but for everyone - that aims to break this taboo by encouraging people to take time to celebrate the lives of those no longer with us. A host of well-known faces have joined Lindsey in supporting Celebration Day. Mel Giedroyc, host of Where There's a Will, There's a Wake podcast, shared that she will be remembering her parents and parents-in-law, all of whom have died in recent years. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Former England rugby captain Chris Robshaw, who lost his father at the age of five, said he plans to honour his golf-loving dad by playing 18 holes in his memory. Hollywood actor Helena Bonham Carter has recorded her favourite poem in memory of her grandmother 'Bubbles' at Abbey Road Studios to mark Celebration Day. Helena said: 'Celebration Day is May the 26th, which happens to be my birthday! 'I love how we're a patchwork of every single person we've met, and every single person we've loved, and we still contain them. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'Even if people die, they remain part of our fabric, our internal world, and we need to stop, in this crazy world, and have permission to stop - a day in which we can invoke them, and remember them, and let them live again, through us.' Great British Bake Off judge Dame Prue Leith added: 'We don't spend enough time thinking about, talking about or celebrating the people we have loved, admired or been bewitched by. 'Go on, give Celebration Day a go. 'Write a memoir or drink a toast to them, plant a tree in their memory, or just put his or her picture on social media with a wee tribute.' For more information, visit Take Care by Lindsey Burrow is published by Century and is available now.
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
‘Seeds of Hope' event aims to raise awareness on women's health research
One non-profit organization is raising awareness of the work being done in Erie to advance women's health. The Hamot Health Foundation held its annual summit, Seeds of Hope, in partnership with Magee-Womens Research Institute and Penn State Behrend. Dr. Kristy Gnibus named new director of ECHRC Several researchers, oncologists and local women took the day to learn the latest in breakthrough research and treatments. Charles 'Boo' Hagerty, president of the Hamot Health Foundation, said they were also raising money to develop 'seed grants' which can lead to innovative changes in health care. From blight to bright — Erie Land Bank showcases newly rehabilitated home 'We're talking about a breast cancer vaccine, and that is being researched right now at the Magee-Womens Research Institute, and maybe a seed grant today can help more people understand that research. The other thing that we are talking about is just the fact that women's health research is only 13% of all health research dollars. We want to increase that,' said Hagerty. Seeds of Hope began in 2017 and continues to grow each year. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
13-05-2025
- Yahoo
Grand Rapids to consider designating street in honor of teen who was shot, killed
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — The street where 15-year-old Amillier Penn was shot and killed while playing football with some friends could soon bear his name. Penn's father, Corey Penn, and Seeds of Promise GR have asked the city of Grand Rapids to designate Umatilla Street SE from Madison Avenue to Union Avenue as 'Amillier Penn Way.' The designation would honor the 15-year-old who was shot and killed there on June 2, 2024. Father won't watch GRPD docuseries episode on son's killing: 'I'm still living it' On Tuesday, the city of Grand Rapids Community Development Committee scheduled a public hearing on the requested commemorative street name designation for June 10, just over a year after Penn was killed. All owners of properties directly abutting that block of Umatilla Street will be notified of the hearing by mail, according to city documents. Commemorative street name designations do not rename streets, but would put the designation — typically on a blue sign — under the normal green street sign. 'Street designation is certainly a small way to remember such a young life taken, and I hope that it can also serve as a little bit of comfort to the family,' Second Ward Commissioner Milinda Ysasi said during Tuesday's meeting, adding she hopes the designation will encourage people with information on Penn's killing to come forward. GRPD docuseries names uncharged suspect in death of teen: Could that hurt the case? No one has been charged in Penn's death, which was the focus of the first episode of 'All Access PD: Grand Rapids.' The docuseries episode included the name of a potential suspect. News 8 is not naming the individual because they have not been charged with a crime at this time. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
07-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Margaret Mead Film Festival Offers New Yorkers a Chance to See Acclaimed Docs Without Distribution
Yahoo is using AI to generate takeaways from this article. This means the info may not always match what's in the article. Reporting mistakes helps us improve the experience. Yahoo is using AI to generate takeaways from this article. This means the info may not always match what's in the article. Reporting mistakes helps us improve the experience. Yahoo is using AI to generate takeaways from this article. This means the info may not always match what's in the article. Reporting mistakes helps us improve the experience. Generate Key Takeaways Given the risk-averse economics of the current documentary business, it has become hard for audiences to find a place to see some of the most acclaimed docs out of film festivals, including Sundance, TIFF, and the International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam. Mainstream streaming services' lack of interest in not only political documentaries, but practically all independent doc fare, has made regional film festivals, like the annual Margaret Mead Film Festival, vital to the life of a nonfiction film. This year's edition of the Margaret Mead festival kicks off on May 2 at Manhattan's American Museum of Natural History. The three-day event includes the New York debut of 15 documentaries, many of which do not have U.S. distribution. They include Olivier Sarbil's 'Viktor,' which premiered at TIFF in 2024, Meena Nanji, Zippy Kimundu's 'Our Land, Our Freedom,' which made its world premiere at IDFA in 2023, and the 2025 Sundance Grand Jury Prize winner 'Seeds,' directed by Brittany Shyne. More from Variety About the everyday life of Black generational farmers and the legacy of the declining community in the American South, 'Seeds' will screen at the Museum's 924-seat LeFrak Theater. Shot fully in black and white, 'Seeds' weaves together vignettes of farm life for multiple aging farmers and their families, depicting the slow pace and communal beauty of agricultural living, but also the deep economic injustice black farmers have historically faced and continue to today. Director of public programs at the American Museum of Natural History and Mead Festival Director Jacqueline Handy says that 'Seeds' reminds her of 'home.' 'As a Black woman growing up in New York with southern roots, 'Seeds' pulled on my heart strings and pulled me in,' says Handy. 'It's one of the ways that I see myself reflected in the work of this festival. We are trying to have that balance where folks can see themselves reflected in the festival and also discover something new.' Shyne spent nine years making 'Seeds,' which is her doc feature debut. 'It took a long time for a myriad of reasons,' Shyne says. 'It's hard to get financial support for your first feature, and then just networking, and understanding how the industry works, also takes time. For documentary filmmakers, it's a very untenable and unpredictable environment. We are all pulling from the same resources.' After garnering the Sundance U.S. documentary prize in January, Shyne took 'Seeds' to a number of regional U.S. festivals, including Full Frame and RiverRun. However, despite being a favorite with critics and audiences alike, 'Seeds' does not have a distribution deal. Shyne credits regional fests with helping keep 'Seeds' part of the conversation. 'I feel very lucky that the film has been doing so well and has been well received,' she says. 'In terms of distribution, we are still trying to figure things out. We hope to have an impact campaign eventually. There are so many different phases of the film that we hope to do eventually, but I think at this point we're just enjoying where it's at.' Following a world premiere at Maine's Camden International Film Festival, director Max Keegan took his doc 'The Shepherd and The Bear' to IDFA in November 2024. On May 3, the film will make its New York debut at Margaret Mead. Set high in the majestic French Pyrenees, 'The Shepherd and The Bear' explores a conflict provoked by the controversial reintroduction of wild brown bears into a remote shepherding community. The doc follows an aging shepherd who struggles to find a successor as bears prey on his flock, and a teenage boy who becomes obsessed with tracking the bears. 'It just seemed like such a weird conflict because both sides were really right,' says Keegan, who spent two years filming in the French Pyrenees. 'I really felt like I could sympathize with farmers in the area who feel like this is a decision that's been taken by people who live so far away from them and who don't understand their lives. But I also really sympathize with the people who are interested in the bear as a symbol and want to protect these sorts of animals. The idea that these two things could be true at the same time really drew me into the subject. In November, Jour2Fête acquired French distribution rights to 'The Shepherd and The Bear.' The film does not have U.S. distribution. 'The festival run has been really significant,' says Keegan. 'It has been really important and we have been really lucky to have been selected for a variety of festivals that really valued the film.' Oscar-nominated filmmakers Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady's most recent film, 'Folktales,' which debuted at Sundance 2025, will close the Margaret Mead Film Festival on May 3. About a trio of teenagers taking a 'gap year' at a Norwegian Folk High School in Pasvik, located 300 miles north of the Arctic Circle, 'Folktales' is a universal story, according to Ewing. 'The film is about growing up, and we have all done that,' says Ewing. '(The film) is about being insecure and wanting to learn how to be brave and not knowing how to.' After screening in Park City, Ewing and Grady took 'Folktales' to festivals including Full Frame, Thessaloniki, and San Francisco Intl. Film Festival. In April, Magnolia Pictures acquired North American rights to 'Folktales.' The doc will be released in theaters on July 25. 'I really hope that there is a shift back to the original roots of how Heidi and I started in this industry, which was word of mouth and a theatrical run,' says Grady. 'No one was making a cajillion dollars, but you had a fan base.' The recent theatrical success of documentaries like 'No Other Land' and 'Secret Mall Apartment' is a good sign, according to Grady. 'When I started in this business, there were not very many places to show your documentaries,' says Grady. 'There were no streamers. It was basically HBO and PBS. Everything else was theatrical. So, it's not a return to that, exactly but there is a feeling of more community and getting back to our fans. Our constituents.' The lineup for the 2025 Margaret Mead Film Festival: May 2 Seeds – New York Premiere Followed by post-screening discussion Director: Brittany Shyne (in attendance) 2025 | 125 min | USA May 3 Remaining Native – New York Premiere Followed by post-screening discussion Director: Paige Bethmann (in attendance) 2025| 87 min | USA The Shepherd and the Bear – New York Premiere Director: Max Keegan (in attendance) 2024 | 100 min | France, Spain Favoriten – New York Premiere Followed by post-screening discussion Director: Ruth Beckermann (in attendance) 2024 | 118 min | Austria Our Land, Our Freedom – New York Premiere Presented by Mira Nair, executive producer (in attendance) Followed by post-screening discussion Director: Meena Nanji, Zippy Kimundu (in attendance) 2023 | 100 min | Kenya Land with No Rider –New York Premiere Followed by post-screening discussion Director: Tamar Lando (in attendance) 2024 | 100 min | USA The Return of the Projectionist – New York Premiere Followed by post-screening discussion Director: Orkhan Agazade (in attendance) 2024 | 77 min | Azerbaijan Night of the Coyotes –New York Premiere Followed by post-screening discussion Director: Clara Trischler (in attendance) 2024 | 79 min | Mexico Brink of Dreams –New York Premiere Followed by post-screening discussion Director: Nada Riyadh, Ayman El Amir 2024 | 101 min | Egypt May 4 How Deep Is Your Love –New York Premiere Followed by post-screening discussion Director: Eleanor Mortimer (in attendance) 2025 | 101 min | United Kingdom Folktales –New York Premiere Followed by post-screening discussion Directors: Heidi Ewing, Rachel Grady (in attendance) 2025 | 106 min | Norway Partition –New York Premiere Followed by post-screening discussion Director: Diana Allan (in attendance) 2025 | 61 min | Palestine River of Grass –New York Premiere Followed by post-screening discussion Director: Sasha Wortzel (in attendance) 2024 | 83 min | USA Make it Look Real –New York Premiere Followed by post-screening discussion Director: Danial Shah (in attendance) 2024 | 67 min | Pakistan Bright Future –U.S. Premiere Followed by post-screening discussion Director: Andra MacMasters (in attendance) 2024 | 89 min | North Korea Viktor – New York Premiere Presented by Darren Aronofsky, producer (in attendance) Followed by post-screening discussion Director: Olivier Sarbil (in attendance) 2024 | 91 min | Ukraine Best of Variety Sign up for Variety's Newsletter. 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Yahoo
29-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
‘So much to be excited about': Dayton Black Women's Film Festival returns in May
DAYTON, Ohio (WDTN) — If one thing can be learned from securing the big movie for the third annual Dayton Black Women's Film Festival, it's this: Sometimes it's not what you know, but who you know. During a recent interview with festival founder and filmmaker Angelina Mitchell shared how she managed to snag a screening of documentary 'Seeds,' the festival's big name. Directed by Wright State alum Brittany Shyne, 'Seeds' tackles the role of Black farmers in the American South. The movie won the U.S. Grand Jury Prize for Documentary at Sundance in February. 'I'm still kind of processing it': Wright State grad talks 'Seeds,' top honor at Sundance Mitchell credits her mentor for the assist in landing the prize-winner. 'I just, I threw it out there as kind of like, 'Man, I really wish I could screen 'Seeds,'' she said. 'He kind of worked everything out for me and made it happen because Brittany is also somebody who's mentored by him. And he reached out to her and he connected everything, and she agreed immediately. 'That's really how it happened. I honestly just asked. And I was like, 'You know what? Why not shoot my shot?' essentially. And now we're able to screen 'Seeds,' which I'm super excited about because it is one of the most visually stunning documentaries I have ever seen.' Mitchell calls Shyne's cinematography — she serves as well as her own DP — 'just beautiful.' 'You figure out things about this country and yourself and, things that you didn't know were happening that are still happening,' she says. 'I just think it's a documentary that everyone needs to see, because it will absolutely change your life.' The movie, which screened at the Yellow Springs Film Festival, will be getting its Dayton premiere as part of the DBWFF's Opening Night at The Neon on Thursday, May 15. The festival lasts through Sunday, May 18. Mitchell laughs that she did 'bite off a lot more than I can chew' in stretching the festival to four days, but she calls it 'really great, really special.' Among the events she is most excited about is the Black Women in Filmmaking Workshop at the Bassani Theater being held in partnership with the Dayton Metro Library. It will feature sessions on screenwriting, led by director Selina Burks-Rentschler, and direction, led by filmmaker Kailah Ware. (The event is free, but registration is required and limited.) On Saturday, May 17, the festival is organizing a free networking brunch at The Neon 'Just come and eat for free, and you get to meet Black women filmmakers and see what they're doing and what they're working on and get connected,' she says. 'We're so supportive of each other because we are all we have in this industry.' Hosting the festival at the Neon is a treat that Mitchell is appreciative of. 'My partnership with the Neon means so much to me, I wouldn't be able to do any of the things that I do or be able to take on a four day festival essentially, if not for Jonathan McNeal. 'Jonathan really is such a mover in the community. He will do anything when it comes to supporting endeavors of artists in any space, but specifically with film, he really has enriched the community and the culture that we have here.' Also on Saturday: The Shorts program at The Neon, which spotlights the work of Black female students currently enrolled at Wright State. Tickets are $15. Organizing this year's shorts program shone its own spotlight on the changing demographics of the Wright State film program for MItchell. 'There are currently five Black women in the Wright State program which is so exciting because I was the only one — and I'm still the only Black person in my entire class, my now going into our senior year class. 'Just to see the shift that's happened in such a short time of being in those spaces and pushing for there to be a difference and a change made…' The festival concludes Sunday at The Neon with an awards presentation as well as a 20th anniversary screening of Burks-Rentschler's 2005 documentary short, 'Saving Jackie.' Tickets are again $15. When: Thursday, May 15, through Sunday, May 18. More: Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
