I’m super excited to share that Meltdown in Dixie is returning to WORLD Channel for an encore broadcast on America ReFramed!!!
I made this film from 2016 to 2021 - and it is an ensemble portrait of my hometown of Orangeburg, South Carolina through the battle over the Confederate Flag flying downtown. The film very purposely presents both sides of the argument - putting people and views in conversation with each other that almost never happen in day to day life.
It is a nuanced Southern story by Southern filmmakers (shoutout to my longtime colleague and fellow South Carolinian Seth Gadsden) - which is something that is sadly super super rare. And something that as a filmmaker from this part of the country - I really want to help change.
This film did super well - it won numerous awards, it qualified for the oscars, and it got a national broadcast - on both public TV and MSNBC....and I’m not joking...people in Japan saw it.
We also were able to bring the film to 15 of South Carolina’s 46 counties for in person screenings...reaching hundreds more people and starting meaningful community conversations.
And none of this would have been possible without the support of South Carolina Humanities.
Last week South Carolina Humanities, and 55 other state and jurisdictional humanities councils, received notice that the National Endowment for the Humanities is canceling all funding - immediately. Effective April 1st...so actually even before the councils were notified.
The NEH is the ONLY federal fund that supports the humanities. It is less than 0.01 percent of the federal budget - and has existed since 1965.
And I don’t have to tell anyone that is a working artist in South Carolina how little funding there is for arts and humanities in state. And now...it is very possible we might be losing one of the few in-state grantmakers that exists.
Continued in comments…
Wonderful screening and discussion of Meltdown in Dixie at Presbyterian College hosted by the The Echo Project. Empowering panel discussion and community talkback.
Thank you to Dr. Ingram for moderating and Dr. Blair and Dr. Harris for taking part in the panel.
We have crisscrossed South Carolina to screen this film with the Center for Creative Partnerships thanks to support from South Carolina Humanities and The Johanna Foundation.
#TBT to our screening and extended talkback about Meltdown in Dixie at RiverRun International Film Festival last weekend!!
Thanks to Jim Steele for a wonderful Q&A!!
Special shoutout to Tiffany Jones from the festival for her help and these great photos!!
Meltdown in Dixie is officially a The Webby Awards Honoree in the Public Service & Activism Category!
Read More Here:
/PublicVoting#/2023/video/general-video/public-service-activism?honoree
Drumroll...our last community screening of Meltdown in Dixie is in Laurens County on April 24th!! We are pleased to be presenting this screening in partnership with The Echo Project at Presbyterian College!!
Screening is free and open to the public -- and will run from 6:30pm to 8:30pm, including a community conversation led by Dr. Booker Ingram and featuring panelists Dr. Selena Blair and Dr. William Harris.
Thanks to the Center for Creative Partnerships for making this screening series possible--we will have screened the film in 13 different counties over the past year!
Thanks to South Carolina Humanities and the Joanna Foundation for funding this series!!
The countdown is on for our ENCORE of Meltdown in Dixie on America ReFramed on WORLD Channel!! Tomorrow at 8pm ET! Check your local PBS listings or stream on PBS.org til 3/28!
Great screening and conversation last night in Berkeley County at Grace Reformed Episcopal Church!! Thanks to everyone who came out!! Made possible w support from SC Humanities and the Joanna Foundation!
Monday March 13th at 6:30pm we are at Grace Reformed Episcopal Church in Moncks Corner!! (thanks to Grace Impact Development Center)
Come out to our screening of Meltdown in Dixie and post screening community discussion moderated by Dr. Bill Hine -- featuring Tory Liferidge and Darien Jones.
This is a part of a South Carolina wide screening tour with support from the Joanna Foundation and South Carolina Humanities organized by the Center for Creative Partnerships
Who is excited about March? We are! We have two screenings coming up of Meltdown in Dixie as a part of our screening tour with the Center for Creative Partnerships!!!
March 2nd at 6:30pm - The Echo Project at Presbyterian College!!
March 13th at 6:30pm - Grace Impact Development Center
Thanks to South Carolina Humanities and The Johanna Foundation for making this possible!!
