Why documentary filmmaker Ken Burns says he ‘won’t work on a more important project’ than ‘The American Revolution’

After 10 years of work, $30 million, and the use of 60 voice actors and 18,000 maps, the first of the six-episode “The American Revolution” series premieres Sunday.

Along with Sarah Botstein and David Schmidt, the film is co-directed by Ken Burns, whose past documentaries — “Civil War ”(1990), “Baseball” (1994), “Lewis & Clark” (1997), “Mark Twain” (2001), “The National Parks” (2009), “Vietnam” (2017) — have made him one of the most celebrated chroniclers of all things American.

Yet among all past and future projects, the renowned documentarian has said in the lead-up to this release, “I won’t work on a more important project.”

After talking to many about the project, producers say people are “thirsty” to understand history more deeply. Yet, in a day of short reels and low engagement,