EXPERIENCE FILIPINO CULTURE, FAMILY& FOOD THROUGH THE BEAUTIFUL AWARD-WINNING DOCU FEATURE “FOOD ROOTS”

NOW STREAMING ON PBS.ORG/YOUTUBE FOLLOWING EMMY WINNER RESTAURATEUR “BILLY DEC,” AS HE TRAVELS THE PHILIPPINES DISCOVERING HIS FILIPINO HERITAGE THROUGH FOOD, FAMILY & HIS LOLA INSPIRING DISHES FOR HIS OWN EATERIES IN THE US

EMMY WINNING RESTAURATEUR BILLY DEC CONTINUES STREAMING HIS DOCUMENTARY FEATURE “FOOD ROOTS” NOW ON YOUTUBE and PBS.ORG

FOLLOWING A ROBUST BROADCAST LAUNCH ON PBS IN MAY, THIS BEAUTIFUL AND INSPIRATIONAL FILM TAKES VIEWERS ON AN INCREDIBLE JOURNEY WITH BILLY ACROSS THE PHILIPPINES AS HE DISCOVERS HIS FILIPINO CULTURAL ROOTS THROUGH FOOD, FAMILY, PEOPLE, AND HIS LOLA (GRANDMOTHER) ULTIMATELY INSPIRING THE CUISINE AT HIS FIVE US EATERIES IN CHICAGO, DETROIT, NASHVILLE AND TAMPA

YOUTUBE https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ozQV6rbDKdo

PBS ONLINE https://www.pbs.org/show/food-roots/

The acclaimed film launched in May streaming exclusively on PBS and broadcast on select PBS television stations across the nation during Asian American Native Hawaiian Pacific Islander Heritage Month (AANHPI) and now continues streaming so that audiences can be inspired 24 hours a day.

The FOOD ROOTS creative team includes: three-time Oscar affiliated executive producer Doug Blush (20 Feet from Stardom, Icarus, The Elephant Whisperers); Emmy Award winners Billy Dec and director Michele Josue; Grammy Award winner apl.de.ap of the Black Eyed Peas; Oscar nominated screenplay writer Ronnie Del Carmen (Up, Inside Out), and the award winning creative advertising agency COACT.

Blending cinematic storytelling with intimate cultural exploration, FOOD ROOTS follows Billy Dec as he journeys through his mother’s native 7,641 islands in the Philippines in search of his last living elders, ancestral recipes, and long-held family stories. Traveling by plane, boat, motorcycle, jeepney, and on foot, he moves through bustling cities, remote islands, and cloud-covered mountain villages, uncovering culinary traditions and personal truths that redefine his understanding of identity, heritage, and belonging.

One of the film’s most powerful moments comes when Billy meets a now 108-year-old tribal tattoo master, who blesses him with a traditional tattoo symbolizing ancestral connection and continuity. Through moments of joy, loss, and revelation, FOOD ROOTS becomes a deeply human story about how food carries memory, preserves culture, and connects generations.

Billy Dec’s journey has also influenced his work as Founder and CEO of the Sunda New Asian Restaurants (Chicago, Nashville, Tampa, Detroit), known for its elevated Southeast Asian cuisine inspired flavors. Elements of the film’s culinary discoveries have inspired menu items and specials across all of Sunda locations allowing guests to experience the inspiring story through food.

“I’ve always been incredibly proud of my Filipino heritage, culinary, traditions and culture, so to be able to take everyone to the other side of the world to share the beauty of the islands, people, food, and more, on American public television that I grew up on, is a dream come true.” says Dec. “My hope is that FOOD ROOTS inspires people of all backgrounds to seek out and explore the lessons of their own ancestors, heritage, traditions.. perhaps through food like I did, or whatever resonates, taking learned expressions of culture, identity and connection.. and celebrating them by sharing all with the world.”

Director Michele Josue adds, “While this is a deeply personal story, the response we’ve seen from audiences across the country proves how universal it is. At its heart, FOOD ROOTS is about family, memory, and the longing to belong…something we all understand.”

Since its film festival premiere, FOOD ROOTS has received strong acclaim earning the Audience Choice Award at the Vero Beach Film Festival and Nashville Film Festival, where audiences connected deeply with its emotional storytelling and cultural authenticity. The film has screened at prominent festivals including the Chicago International Film Festival, Newport Beach Film Festival, Sunscreen Film Festival, Cleveland International Film Festival, and Gasparilla International Film Festival, where it has been recognized for its cinematic scope and universal themes of family and identity.

Directed by Michele Josue

Produced by: Apl.de.Ap, Becky Magura, Mike McNamara and Ronnie del CarmenExecutive Produced by: Doug Blush and Billy Dec 

STREAMING NOW ON YOU TUBE AND PBS.ORG

RUN TIME: 60 minutes

RATING: Unrated

LANGUAGES: Tagalog/English

TRAILER:  https://www.coactagency.com/results/foodroots 

Restaurateur/Entrepreneur/Emmy Winning Billy Dec takes a ride on a tricycle in the Philippines in a scene from the

film FOOD ROOTS directed by Michele Josue.  Photo Credit: COACT LLC

About Billy Dec 

Billy Dec is a 2-time Emmy Award Winning TV Personality, Actor, Attorney and Entrepreneur. Dec is the Founder/CEO of celebrated businesses like Sunda New Asian Restaurants, The Blueprint Underground Cocktail Club, as well as cutting edge Creative Agency COACT, with 4000+ teammates around the world. Dec can regularly be seen hosting and cooking on local & national TV, loves to act from time to time, and is proud to share his heritage in his new documentary FOOD ROOTS. A Chicago-Kent College of Law and Harvard Business School Alum, Dec was a Presidential appointee for five years, serving on the White House Advisory Commission on Asian Americans & Pacific Islanders, and the White House Bullying Prevention Task Force, and has served on many local philanthropic boards and committees.

About Doug Blush 

Over 25 years as an award-winning filmmaker, currently focusing on top level documentary features and independent film productions through his Los Angeles-based company, MadPix, Inc.  Credits include directing, producing, editing, writing, and/or cinematography on more than one hundred feature and television documentaries, including Oscar, Emmy, Grammy, Independent Spirit, and Peabody Award winning projects, over twenty Sundance Film Festival features including one Grand Jury and two Audience Award winners, and four of the top 200 box office documentaries of all time. Doug is a proud member of both the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) and the American Cinema Editors (ACE).

About Michele Josue 

Michele Josue is an Emmy award-winning Filipino American director. She is the Executive Producer and Director of “Happy Jail,” a Netflix Original Documentary Series about the Filipino jail that is home to the world-famous “Dancing Inmates” known for their viral Michael Jackson dance video. Michele’s critically acclaimed feature-film debut "Matt Shepard is a Friend of Mine" is the winner of 10 Best Documentary and Audience Choice Awards from festivals worldwide and boasts a 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. In 2016, the film won the Daytime Emmy Award for "Outstanding Special Class Special.” 

BILLY DEC meets the legendary 108 year-old tattoo artist in the Philippines in a scene from the film FOOD ROOTS directed by Michele Josue.  Photo Credit: COACT LLC

Billy Dec works with children in one of the villages in the Philippines in a scene from the film FOOD ROOTS directed by Michele Josue.  Photo Credit: COACT LLC

In the classroom on his Philippine trip, Billy Dec works with students in food preparation in a scene from the film FOOD ROOTS directed by Michele Josue.  Photo Credit: COACT LLC

Billy Dec takes a moment in the provinces of the Philippines in a scene from the film FOOD ROOTS directed by Michele Josue.  Photo Credit: COACT LLC