Food Roots - Director Michele Josue & Subject Billy Dec

Emmy award-winning Filipino American film director Michele Josue (Matt Shepard is a Friend of Mine) masterfully blends cinematic storytelling with intimate cultural exploration, FOOD ROOTS follows Billy Dec, two-time Emmy Award Winning TV Personality, Actor, Attorney and Entrepreneur, 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.

About the subject - 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 the filmmaker - 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.”