Faculty-Produced Film Makes Multi-Festival Premiere

A new documentary short inspired by the research of Emmanuel Harris II, professor of Spanish and Africana studies, is introducing audiences to one Black family’s generational legacy: growing their farm and feeding their community.

“Black Soil” brought the story of the Allen family from the Mississippi Delta to film festivals in New Orleans and Hot Springs, Arkansas — where it received the Grand Jury Special Mention — with additional screenings in Memphis and New York City in the weeks to come.

Through a longstanding connection with Harris’ brother, the Allens approached Harris about documenting their history of maintaining and expanding their farmland across generations.

"They knew I was interested in these kinds of research and asked me if I wanted to write the story of their family," Harris said.

With a background in Latin American and Caribbean literature as well as Africana studies, Harris takes pride in studying and sharing the experiences of Black communities.

"I think of myself as a storyteller," Harris said. "I like to tell stories of people who are often forgotten, overlooked, or marginalized."

The family's story stood out to Harris because of their history of land ownership: starting with 40 acres of New Deal land and steadily growing and maintaining it for future generations. Theirs, he says, is a story of resilience, patience and love.

While working alongside the Allens to write a forthcoming book, Harris’ work caught the eye of directors Caitlin Ochs, a National Geographic Explorer, and Nicholas Weissman, an Emmy award winner, who contacted Harris to develop a documentary. The two worked with Harris as a producer on the project, which allowed him to tell the story through a new medium.

"Documentary filmmaking is a lot different than writing a paper or publishing a paper or even creating a book," he said.

Harris said he hopes audiences can share in a sense of pride in the Allens’ story of perseverance and their dedication to serving their community. For the Allens, Harris says they consider themselves growers whose mission is to feed the world.

"This story, the Allen Family Farm story, is an American history story," he said. "It's Black history, it's American history, it's our history."