Short and sweet might be an apt way to describe director Ross Pierson’s The Red List. Narrated by lolo Williams, the 49-minute documentary follows the year-long charge by botanist Dr. Kevin McGinn to acquire 25 of Wales’ at risk species of plants.

Together with horticulturists Carley Green and Elinor James, science officer Dr Abi Lowe, other members of the team and students, Kevin scours the Welsh landscape from his base at the National Botanic Garden of Wales. Once seeds are successfully collected, half are sent to the Millenium Seed Bank at Kew Gardens in London for longterm conservation. If Kevin fails to complete the list this year, it will place future funding in jeopardy, putting his job and the institution’s role in seed collection and conservation at risk.

The Red List might not appear to be a story about heroism, however, the commitment to conserving endangered species of plants, the hard work, battling through extreme temperatures, the elation and the sadness, is clearly an act of heroism. Pierson focuses on the work rather than the personalities, and yet, the whole endeavour has a small community or family vibe. The camaraderie of the team crackles and they communicate a love for what they do, sometimes through words, other times silently. The interactions between Kevin, Carley, El, and Abi, are a mix of friendship and the familial. When Abi, then Carley tells Kevin they’ve accepted another job, it feels like a family saying goodbye as they watch loved ones set off to begin new chapters in their lives.

A striking comparison is when Carley leaves, she hands over to El, who trained through the institution. This transition is a life cycle of its own, going from seed to a plant or flower in bloom, that mirrors the life cycle of plants. Given the film’s focus, Pierson’s ability to pull on the sentimental heartstrings of his audience is impressive. It’s a testament to the genuinely heartwarming, sensitive, and compassionate community at the institution. And much of the film is about caring for nature. The Red List is never so didactic as to say it, but it’s a film about a respect for life and the right for living things to endure.

Beneath the film’s gentleness, lies an impassioned impetus. You can hear in lolo Williams’ narration the urgency to communicate deeper ideas and time sensitive concerns. One is the impact of climate change that effects plants and their seeding patterns. Another is the worrying reality that a sixth of Wales’ plants are on the endangered lists.

Pierson pushes The Red List forward as an advocate for plants, that are often overlooked in favour of those high profile endangered animals. Here, the case is bluntly made that plants are the foundation of most ecosystems, and the best means of protecting endangered animals, is to protect their habitat, which means conserving plant life.

For the British audience, it’s difficult to miss how the National Botanic Garden of Wales has lost access to EU funding as a result of Brexit. Kevin explains it’s difficult to get funding for conservation in general nowadays, but alongside the climate change debate, it places plant conservation as a political concern.

The Red List is an engaging documentary that scratches the surface of more layered and deeper conversations. Pierson has offered a conversation starter and through the film’s family and community vibe, should stir an interest in plant conservation. And hopefully, it will compel deeper empathy and consideration for a living kingdom that human beings owe a debt of gratitude.

The Red List premieres at Raindance 2025, which takes place from June 18th to 27th.