Little Chenier

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THE DIRECTOR

Bethany Ashton Wolf began her career in Los Angeles as an actress but soon found herself co-writing and co-producing the controversial indie film, DONS PLUM, starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Tobey Maguire. Following this, she continued on to write, produce, and star in the short film, THE BURGUNDY ROOM, winning three awards at the Louisiana Video Shorts Festival in New Orleans; including The Best of the Fest award. Her next project was a SAG experimental called FIRST AND LAST, which she starred in, wrote, directed, and produced. She succeeded this endeavor with her short film, WAIT, which was screened at the Waterfront Film Festival to a standing ovation. LITTLE CHENIER is Bethanys feature directorial debut.

DIRECTOR'S QUEST

Bethany Ashton Wolf

I feel such a moral responsibility to show the world what Cajun culture is all about. So many misconceptions about the culture exist, largely because no one knows anything about it. It is a culture that cannot be studied out of a textbook. Its history is predominately one of oral tradition, as the Cajun language, people, and customs were oppressed by a government eager to Americanize the states inhabitants. Luckily the strong willed Cajun people survived those dark days.

Cajun people are the most generous and gracious people I've ever had the experience of knowing. They have an enormous amount of love and respect for their traditions, family, and land. I wanted to honor that with this story. I wasn't making a documentary about the culture, yet I wanted to tell a deeply rich story that the culture could permeate through.

Cajun culture is rich, beautiful, and alive. I wanted the setting to be as authentic as possible. In order to create an environment sensitive to my approach, I knew Louisiana funding would be imperative. I wanted all of our extras to be Cajun, all of our musicians to be Cajun, to cast as many locals as possible, and to have true Cajun accents.

HURRICANE RITA

WORDS FROM THE DIRECTOR

Little did I know it at the time, but as we were shooting this film we were capturing for posterity the beauty of a place which may never be the same. On September 24, 2005, Hurricane Rita, the most intense storm ever recorded in the Gulf of Mexico, plowed into the bayou communities of Cameron and Calcasieu Parishes. Just 31 days after wrapping principal photography, the areas in which we filmed were devastated. Little was salvageable in Little Chenier, which suffered incessant storm surges as high as 30 feet. The very Cajun homes, land, and businesses that were so graciously given to us were lost. We set out to make a film that honors the importance Cajun people place upon land and family. Now that land has been lost and many of the families have been separated. This film represents their hearts and their homes, and is the only footage they have of the life they once lived on the bayou.

However, this will not stop these beautifully courageous people. Since the beginning of their existence, Cajuns have faced great struggles and adversity. These people are survivors. They are heroes. They will triumph yet again. After the Hurricane hit, my dear friend and former Police Juror, Scott Trahan, turned to me and said,

"We still have our faith in God and each other. We will rebuild. We will take care of our own."

My family and I have set up a non-profit organization to help rebuild the bayou communities hit by Hurricane Rita. If you would like to donate money directly to these communities please contact:

Jane Dennison
Rita Remembered
PO box 145
Lake Charles, LA
70602

[email protected]

Purchasing art from the following website, C.J. DESIGNS ART, will generate funds for Hurricane Rita victims. The artist is our own production designer CJ Strawn, and the artwork consists of the flora, fauna, and landscape in which"Little Chenier" was filmed (as it existed prior to Hurricane Rita).