“THE BOYS AND THE BEES transports you to the lush sights and sounds of rural Georgia, placing you in the company of a family you’ll quickly fall in love with ... An incredible portrait of parenthood.”
This film is supported by
UFO and Southern Documentary Fund
The Boys and the Bees follows a year in the life of a Black family on a small farm in rural Georgia. Through a patient, verité lens, the film moves at the pace of two young boys, alive with curiosity, as they wander fields, tend hives, and grow in their relationship with the land around them. Their parents, Eliza and Nehemiah Ray—partners in life, parenthood, and beekeeping—set out to reimagine Black family life, rooting it in the wisdom of the natural world. As they work toward restoring their homestead, the film traces their quiet efforts to raise their sons, Carver (6) and Aaro (4), close to the land, transforming the rhythms of daily life into a tender meditation on childhood, inheritance, and legacy.
From small, luminous moments—a frightened boy finding the courage to tend a beehive—a larger story unfolds: one of reparative healing and the deliberate work of building a family bound to the land. The Boys and the Bees is a tender yet radical portrait of self-determination, kinship, and love.
The Boys and the Bees
WINNER Short Film Jury Award Nonfiction - Sundance Film Festival 2026
WINNER Short Film Audience Award - Atlanta Film Festival 2026
WINNER Best Documentary Short & Best of Fest - Nevada City Film Festival 2026
WINNER Best Documentary Short - Ouray Film Festival 2026
WINNER Best Documentary Short - Salute Your Shorts 2026
WINNER Best Documentary Short - BEYOND: The Cary Film Festival
This American Life Podcast
In Episode 881 of This American Life, host Ira Glass featured the short documentary The Boys and the Bees in the episode prologue.
A six-year-old boy makes an honest wish — and his father chooses to take it seriously. The result is a moving story about desire, listening, and connection.
Listen to the episode here
Upcoming Screenings
October 16 — 15 Short Film Festival · Rockford, IL
October 16 — Woodstock Film Festival, Community Center · Woodstock, NY
October 16–23 — Science New Wave Festival XIX at Labocine ·online
October 17 — Stories Worth Telling Film Festival 2026, Golden, CO
October 18 — Coast Film and Music Festival 2026 · Laguna Beach, CA
October 18 — Wildscreen Festival · Bristol & Bath, UK
October 22 — Switchboard Screening, CAA · Los Angeles, CA
October 23 — 16th Devour! The Food Film Fest · Wolfville, Nova Scotia
October 23 — American Cinematheque, Egyptian Theatre · Hollywood, CA
October 23–25 — Park City Film Festival · Park City, UT
October 24 — AFI Fest, TCL Chinese 6 Theatres · Hollywood, CA
October 25 — SCAD Savannah Film Festival · Savannah, GA
October 28 – November 1 — Jali Film Weekender · Edinburgh, Scotland
Meet the Team
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The Ray Family
Nehemiah, Eliza, Aaro, Carver
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Arielle Knight
Director
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Director of Photography
Fernando Rocha
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Sean Weiner
Producer & Editor
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Alessandra Puig-Santana
Associate Producer
To make a tax deductible donation to support the film’s impact campaign you can make a direct donation through our fiscal sponsor, Southern Documentary Fund.
Follow Our Journey
