ORANGEBURG, S.C. (AP) - A small, white house with a United States flag flashes on the screen.
People are shown strolling along Russell Street, and then the viewer is transported to the Edisto River Creamery, located next to Edisto Memorial Gardens.
“When I bought the Creamery, I saw it was in a beautiful park and I said, ‘What’s not to like?’” restaurant owner Tommy Daras says.
So begins the trailer to “Meltdown in Dixie – A documentary film about BBQ, Ice Cream and the Confederate Flag” produced and directed by filmmaker and Orangeburg native Emily Harrold. The 40-minute documentary was co-produced by Seth Gadsden.
The trailer was released on Friday, Jan. 22.
The film will have its world premiere at the 18th aAnnual Big Sky Documentary Film Festival to be held Feb. 19-28 in Montana. The film festival will be held virtually this year.
According to the film’s promotional material, it explores the “broader role of Confederate symbolism in the 21st century and the lingering racial oppression which these symbols help maintain.”
Harrold said, “As a native of Orangeburg, I of course knew about the Confederate flag on the corner of John C. Calhoun and Russell streets and why it was there.
“So when Tommy and Debbie Daras opened the Edisto River Creamery in late 2016, I assumed they were flag supporters in the same vein as Maurice Bessinger — and that they were choosing to fly the Confederate flag.”
Harrold said, “I had no idea that the Sons of Confederate Vets owned the small plot of land and had control of the flag pole until Tommy decided to take it down … and the story went national.”
Harrold said she followed the coverage in The Times and Democrat and, in the summer of 2017, decided to make a documentary.
“This is a story about a Confederate flag, barbecue and ice cream … which is not something you come across every day,” Harrold said. “It is a unique way to look at an issue that is playing out across the country.”
“And as a local from Orangeburg, I believed I was the right person to make the documentary,” she said. “Additionally, I thought there could be an opportunity to hear from a variety of viewpoints on the issue in meaningful ways. We tend to get in our echo chambers on issues like this, and I was interested in trying to break out of those echo chambers.”
Both Daras and Sons of Confederate Veterans Camp 842 Keeper of the Flag Buzz Braxton got a sneak peek at the film earlier this year.
Braxton said he knew the film would contain things he didn’t like, but he asked Harrold to be fair.
“It was about fair as I think it can be,” he said.
Daras said, “It is fantastic. It should go right along with the Orangeburg Massacre documentary.”
“She hit home base with it,” Daras continued. “Things could have gotten more detailed, but it is close enough to get the gist of what is going on your fine city.”
Hundreds of hours of footage were shot from mid-2017 up to mid-2020.
“The role of Confederate symbolism in communities across the country is something that is being hotly debated and I wanted to shine a light on the conversation that we are having in Orangeburg because our voice matters on this issue just as much as any other part of the country,” Harrold said. “I also wanted to create a film that would shed light on all sides of the issue and have audiences confront viewpoints different from their own.”
“The only way we are going to tackle issues like this is by getting outside of our comfort zones, and I think ‘Meltdown in Dixie’ will probably be outside of many people’s comfort zones … hopefully in an important and eye-opening way,” Harrold said.
Daras purchased the land and building that became the Creamery in February 2015. At the front of the building is a small parcel of land the previous owner, Maurice Bessinger, gave to the Sons of Confederate Veterans Rivers Bridge Camp 842 for a historical display, including the flag.
Daras sought to have the flag removed.
State Rep. Justin Bamberg, his attorney, claimed the city’s zoning ordinance doesn’t allow the flag in front of the restaurant because the property is zoned commercial general. Bamberg has argued the property is being used as a historic display and not for business.
A circuit court judge decided in 2019 that the Confederate flag does not violate the City of Orangeburg’s zoning ordinance. The former Creamery has been closed for two years and remains for sale.
Harrold is no stranger to film. She has been making movies since she was in eighth grade.
Last year, she earned a Southeast Emmy award for her documentary, “While I Breathe, I Hope,” about CNN commentator and attorney Bakari Sellers, a former state lawmaker.
In addition, Harrold is also working on a PBS American Experience historical documentary about the singer Marian Anderson. The documentary is being produced by Apograph Productions.
There are currently two versions of “Meltdown in Dixie” — a short version that is 40 minutes long and a longer version that is 54 minutes long.
“The 40-minute version will be the one that plays at film festivals and the 54-minute version will be the one that plays on TV and is distributed via streaming,” Harrold said.
The TV broadcast release and video on demand/streaming release will be sometime before the summer. TOPIC Studios will distribute the film on its video on demand/streaming platforms.
People can follow her film at www.MeltdownInDixie.com. Information will be posted as screenings and releases are announced.
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