Explore the complex global relationships embedded in efforts to preserve plant life for future generations. Deep beneath the Arctic permafrost, the Svalbard Global Seed Vault safeguards seeds from around the world as a vital backup in times of crisis. 

Wild Relatives begins with a real event that captured international attention: in 2012, an agricultural research center was forced to relocate from Aleppo to Lebanon during the Syrian Civil War, undertaking the painstaking work of replanting seeds retrieved from the Svalbard reserve. Through this journey, the film reveals an intricate web of human and nonhuman relationships between these two distant places. 

Join director Jumana Manna for a virtual introduction to her feature-length film, followed by an audience Q&A. This special screening complements Interspecies Relationships in the exhibition Into the Time Horizon.