Little Chenier

2008 • 100 minutes

About this movie

Little Chenier is a 2006 American drama film directed by Bethany Ashton Wolf and written by Jace Johnson and Wolf. It is set in the bayous of Louisiana, and stars Johnathon Schaech, Frederick Koehler, Tamara Braun, Jeremy Davidson, Clifton Collins Jr., and Chris Mulkey. The film completed principal photography in Louisiana in August 2005, just days before Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Rita hit all of the areas they had filmed in. Wolf and Johnson, devastated for the Cajun communities of Southwest Louisiana, were grateful that they could at least give them all this film, celebrating the memory of their land, its beauty and their way of life. Given the loss that so many experienced from these hurricanes, Wolf and Johnson decided to change the ending of the film to one that represented a beacon of hope. Little Chenier premiered at the Austin Film Festival on October 20, 2006 to a standing ovation, filled with Cajuns, Southerners, and Louisianans. It continued on the festival circuit through 2007, winning 10 Best Picture Awards. It was released January 18, 2008 to a successful theatrical run by Radio London Films, then on DVD July 8, 2008.