Recipient of a $20,000 Sloan Production grant from NYU, Jess X. Snow's 17-minute film ROOTS THAT REACH TOWARD THE SKY has recently been completed. The film is set at a Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) shop run by Pearl, who immigrated to the U.S. from China. Her daughter, Kai, is a botany student committed to helping her mother run the practice, but who wavers when the storefront gets vandalized.

Writer/director Jess X. Snow and writer Kit Yan consulted with Sonali McDermid, an Associate Professor of Environmental Studies at NYU, on the scientific accuracy of the script. McDermid's research focuses on interactions between climate change and agricultural practices–how shifting conditions impact plants. The team also consulted with Zoey Xinyi Gong on the depiction of TCM; Gong is a TCM chef.

Below are some stills from the film, which were shared by the filmmakers. ROOTS THAT REACH TOWARD THE SKY is currently applying to festivals.

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