title: One Man Dies a Million Times
text: # One Man Dies a Million Times
  
  One Man Dies a Million Times is a 2019 Russian-language drama film with science-fiction elements directed by American filmmaker Jessica Oreck that premiered at the 2019 South by Southwest Film Festival.
  
  ## Plot
  
  One Man Dies a Million Times transposes to the near future the true story of the world's first seed bank, the N. I. Vavilov Institute of Plant Genetic Resources, during the Siege of Leningrad, during which scientists preserved a massive inventory of edible seeds in the name of biodiversity while facing starvation.
  
  ## Development
  
  The film includes narration taken from writings by prominent figures who endured the siege of Leningrad, including Anna Akhmatova, Olga Berggolts, and Lydia Ginzburg. It is shot by cinematographer Sean Price Williams in a primarily black-and-white style reminiscent of Tarkovsky.
  
  Oreck decided that this film would only be released in theaters, with no home-video release or sales to streaming services to honor the risks taken by the real-life on-screen subjects. After a planned May 2020 opening delayed due to COVID, the film began its theatrical release on July 29, 2022, at IFC Center in New York City.
  
  