UNL’s Mary Riepma Ross Media Arts Center will host director Sandy McLeod for an opening night screening of her film “Seeds of Time.”

The June 12 event will include a question and answer session with McLeod after the 7:30 p.m. showing of the film.

“Seeds of Time” is a portrait of scientist Cary Fowler, who believes it is important to preserve hundreds of plant varieties that commercial farms have no interest in growing. Fowler’s journey comes as gene banks of the world are crumbling, crop failures are producing starvation-inspired riots, and climate change affects farmers globally. From Rome to Russia and, finally, a remote island under the Arctic Circle, Fowler’s passionate crusade to create a seed bank may hold the key to preserving the future of food.

McLeod’s film is a character study of Fowler and incorporates an introduction to issues surrounding biodiversity. The film is McLeod’s feature directorial debut.

McLeod is an Academy Award-nominated independent filmmaker with experience in most major areas of filmmaking. Her directorial debut was in music videos, where she oversaw the VH1 series “The Sixties.”

She also directed “Asylum,” a film about a Ghanaian woman who sought political asylum in the United States to escape female genital mutilation. McLeod earned an Academy Award nomination in the short documentary category for “Asylum.” The film also won a Gracie and was nominated for an Emmy.

“Seeds of Time” shows at the Ross June 12-18. Show times and ticket information are available at http://www.theross.org or by calling 402-472-5353.