Film Festival Time! Warren and Schneider selected to show film at Mandeville Festival
The Slidell Independent and Tammany West newspapers both covered a story about the success of Stella Maris' short film, Slow Dance With Me.
“Stella MarisFilms, formed in 2013, was selected as one of the companies to show off their new short film, “Slow Dance with Me,” which will be among a host of incredibly interesting, unique and still mostly unknown films at the fifth annual Pontchartrain Film Festival, which will be held this Friday and Saturday, Nov. 4 and 5, at the Mandeville Trailhead.
For Warren, and his partner filmmaker Walter Schneider, Stella Maris Films is an attempt to be in charge of working for themselves and making films in a way that allows them to set their own hours and have a family, plus a Hollywood career...[“Slow Dance With Me”] has also been picked as one of only 44 films out of 400 that were submitted for the New York Jazz Film Festival. The film was also selected for the Art Nonstop Film Festival in Buenos Aires, Argentina.”
Walter Schneider and David Warren discuss their experiences making Slow Dance With Me.
Warren went on to describe his personal experiences in the film industry and what led him to start Stella Maris Productions with his partner, Walter Schneider.
“ ‘I talked to all these awesome actors and producers—it was training that was invaluable. But the hours were brutal. I worked 70 to 80 hours a week, left for work before my wife got up, and returned home after she was in bed.’
For the young married couple it wasn’t their ideal way to have a life together, which now includes a 4-month-old son who has joined the family.
Schneider, 29, became a friend to Warren when they both attended the Savannah College of Art & Design. Since that time, Schneider has received tremendous acclaim for a young industry man of his own. His 2014 work on the film, “12 Years A Slave” was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Production Design, and his work on the 2015 film, “Trumbo,” was nominated for the Art Director’s Guild Award for Excellence in Production Design. He has also been recognized by two Emmy nominations in Outstanding Art Direction.
Both young filmmakers moved to St. Tammany Parish several years ago when the state was creating more films with special state tax incentives, many of which were reduced tremendously in the past legislative session.
’Walter and I want to carve out our own path and prove you can have a career in this industry, and have a family at the same time,’ Warren said...”