:
The interview series, Roots & Branches is one of my very first video projects. We shot it in the television studio of a junior college, in the days when VHS tapes were the standard. The interview subjects are fascinating people from very diverse backgrounds, and I have enlivened the interviews with additional images: family photos, video of dance and music, trips to the guests' home or place of business. Although intended primarily for classroom use to supplement instruction about cultural and ethnic diversity, they will also be of interest to people wanting to learn about the wonderful, cultural richness with which we are surrounded. Each episode is about 30 minutes long. Currently, there are seven episodes. Originally there were 10 but I removed three because I went on to create longer documentaries about them. Now, the series includes interviews with people of Asian (Hmong), Black, white, Native American, Roma and Middle Eastern (Persian) individuals.