Actress Natasha Coppola-Shalom stars in the new film "Liberty." When “Liberty” premieres at the St. Louis Filmmakers Showcase, it will mark the fruition of a dream nearly three decades in the making. Chris Lawing and his wife, Angie Clerc Lawing, met in film school 27 years ago, and they shared the hope of one day working on a creative project together. Their short film tells the story of an intrepid reporter who uncovers corruption and intrigue at a local meatpacking plant in small-town Kansas. “I'm a grandson of farmers, and I went to school in a small town, so I do have a connection, and affinity, and also a fascination of small towns — and certainly a love for Kansas,” Lawing said. “I really wanted to try and capture what it was like — not the cartoonish element of it but [something] more realistic, so that the region, the town itself, is a character.”