Taking Orders
Buy tickets for the October 10th screening here.
About the Film
The episodic documentary, Taking Orders, focuses on how the COVID-19 pandemic has paralyzed hundreds of small, NC businesses, causing irreversible damage for many. The federal government’s hasty, unorganized response to rescue them all but failed leaving two North Carolina restaurateurs, CrossFit gym owners, and teen-aged candy store owner to redefine their livelihood at a time when there is little hope that small businesses will survive this pandemic.
Support This Film
Documentary films made by independent filmmakers are made possible by the generous financial contributions from friends, family, and anonymous donors. Being that we are in the middle of a pandemic and our economy is fragile, many people who would like to donate just can’t at this time. Sharing the campaign link on your social media pages or yelling it from the tree tops is extremely helpful too.
If you are able to make a financial contribution to the film, your tax deductible donation can be sent directly to our fiscal sponsor, The Greater Philadelphia Film Office, through PayPal: https://www.paypal.com/cgi-
The Greater Philadelphia Film Office will then distribute the funds directly to us once we provide receipts for expenses. For more information on the Greater Philadelphia Film Office, please visit https://film.org/.
We have great incentives for even minimum contribution amounts. Thanks in advance for your support!
Restaurant Provence
For over 17 years, Provence has enjoyed welcoming guests to their well-loved establishment. Regarded as one of the finest French restaurants in the Triangle, Provence features the cuisine of the French Mediterranean with an emphasis on local, seasonal dishes. On March 17th 2020, Baptist Knaven turned away his first customer in his 17 years as a restaurateur, was forced to furlough his staff, and waited for weeks to hear about the status of his application for the Payment Protection Program funds. No one returned his calls or answered his emails. The take-out and deliver orders dwindled.
CrossFit Local
In 2010, Chad and Kelly Edwards made a bold move and opened a 4,500 square-foot CrossFit gym in Chapel Hill, NC. It wasn’t long before they had several, devoted members and a community of athletes they were proud of. When Governor Roy Cooper issued the shelter-in-place executive order, Chad and Kelly turned to the Small Business Administration for help. The first time they applied for the Paycheck Protection Program, they never heard back from a loan officer. How would they protect their livelihood during the pandemic?
Elaysa B’s Candy Tree
In 2012, Elyasa Jessup started her candy store at the age of nine. Located in Winston-Salem, NC, this family-owned business is known for their homemade baked goods, unique candy recipes, and custom cakes. When brick-and-morter stores were forced to close, they went from making candy to making masks and sold them to customers around the country in order to supplement their online sales.
About the Director
Taking Orders Film
Meg Daniels
Photographer/Filmmaker
Co-director and cinematographer Meg Daniels has been telling people’s stories for over 25 years. After she received her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Photography from Rochester Institute of Technology, worked as a staff photographer for a large Gannett newspaper in Upstate New York. She left the newspaper industry to become a photo essayist and freelance photographer producing projects about various topics ranging from restorative justice in South Africa to teenagers exploring their identity. She received her Master of Science Degree in Adult and Community College Education from North Carolina State University and went on to teach photography at the collegiate level. In 2019, Meg earned a Master of Fine Arts Degree in the Documentary Film Program at Wake Forest University. While a student, she won the Student Pitch Competition at the 2018 New Orleans Film Festival. Her first feature film, Proper Pronouns, was selected for the 2020 Indie Grits Film Festival and the Queen Palm International Film Festival where she was awarded Best Director and Best Co-editor in the Features Category. She uses filmmaking to address social justice issues in North Carolina.
Information about Meg’s first feature-length film, Proper Pronouns can be accessed here: www.properpronounsfilm.com
