"Liberty Waning" to show during CineFlix Festival in Baton Rouge

   Liberty Waning, a short satirical feature produced by Chris Veade of Plaucheville, has been receiving good reviews and doing well in regional film festivals. It is currently part of the CineFlix Festival, sponsored by John Schneider Studios and Maven Entertainment.

   Earlier this year, the short feature placed third in its category at the Lake Charles Film Festival.

   “The film has played in several cities in Southeast states, including Louisiana,” Veade said. “The closest it will come to Avoyelles Parish will be the Movie Tavern Citiplace in Baton Rouge on Nov. 22 -- the Tuesday before Thanksgiving -- at 12:45 p.m.”

   Veade said tickets are $10. Veterans will have free admission with a military ID.

   Schneider is best known to most as Bo Duke on the “Dukes of Hazzard” television series, but has also had a career as a singer and acting in other television and film productions. His Tuesday night series The Haves and the Have Nots on the Oprah Winfrey Network is one of the top-rated on cable.

   John Schneider Studios is located in Baton Rouge and focuses on helping independent film producers find an audience for their work.

   “The Cineflix Film Festival is not like any other festival,” Veade said. “Only 25 films are selected. It is a touring film festival, going to eight cities from Louisiana to Florida. It started in Slidell and will end in Baton Rouge.” He said the film festival is diffent, also, in that the entrants receive a share of the proceeds from the theater showings.

   “We not only get an opportunity to show our work in theaters -- which is usually not possible, especially for short features -- but we get to work with John Schneider and develop a relationship that may lead us to working together in the future.”

   Veade’s 30-minute film is a satirical look at the gun control argument.

   “It is a controversial piece because it takes a position that is not popular in Hollywood,” Veade said. “It shows how ridiculous the argument for gun control is.”

   The film centers around a mass shooting in which police catch up to the shooter, then push him aside to arrest the rifle. The weapon is then put on trial while the shooter is ignored.

   It was filmed in Avoyelles Parish and features mostly local talent in its cast.

   Veade’s Conestoga Films received good reviews on its documentary, Fort DeRussy: Confederate Gibraltar. Veade said he is working on a full-length feature film as his next project.

   Schneider said his CineFlix Festival provides “these artists with a viable vehicle to showcase their talent and stories.”

   “Indie films represent a singular perspective, not a corporate ‘committee’ agenda,” he added.

   Alicia Allain of Maven Entertainment said she has “always enjoyed providing an artist the best possible platform for story-telling. Now, with CineFlix Fest, we can connect the artist with the viewer in a viable setting.”

   Films that are part of the CineFlix Film Festival will be shown Nov. 21, 22 and 23 in Baton Rouge. There will be Q & A sessions with Schneider and Allain after every film’s showing. Awards will be presented in three categories during ceremonies on Nov. 23. Schneider said he has enjoyed this initial year for the film festival.

   “I love Chris’ movie,” Schneider said. “It’s entertaining, but the key is that it is also thought-provoking. While watching it, you keep waiting for the punchline -- but the point is that the entire film is the punchline.

    “It is a wonderful political satire, and it is the kind of film you can only find in the mind of an independent film producer because it is contrary to the thinking of mainline Hollywood,” Schneider said.

“Hollywood producers are very tolerant of anyone’s views -- as long as those views agree 100 percent with their own,” Schneider said with a laugh.

    The CineFlix ceremony will not only include the awards ceremony, but will also feature a Louisiana-rich concert by Schneider and his Cajun Navy band. 

    He will be playing songs from his new album, Ruffled Skirts. He said the title comes from images of trailers he and his wife saw in their travels through flood-ravaged areas of South Louisiana.

    Performers on the album -- and who may possibly be able to appear at the Nov. 23 concert -- include the group Leroux, Cajun  singer/songwriter Jo-El Sonnier and the “Ragin’ Cajun” fiddler Doug Kershaw.