By Patrick Baron

BLOOMINGTON – A Towanda pastor-turned-filmmaker is asking for your help in filling cast positions for his new movie.

Towanda native and Normal Community High alumnus Kevin Mounce is returning to central Illinois after living in Los Angeles since 2011. Now he is seeking out people who are interested in being cast as extras in his upcoming film, ” Christmas Crashers”. Speaking with WJBC’s Scott Laughlin, Mounce explains even if people don’t want to be in front of the camera, there are some behind-the-scenes aspects they can help with.

“It’s kind of geared toward the cast, like an open casting session, but for anybody that wants to get involved, like businesses interested in maybe offering up locations or maybe helping out with catering or props or anything like that,” said Mounce.

The informational meeting on what Mounce is expecting will be held this at 2:30 p.m. this Sunday at the Lafayette Club in Bloomington.

Mounce filmed his previous movie, “The Little Vagabond” using local locations such as Carl’s Ice Cream on College Ave, Six Strings bar, Fort Jesse Cafe, and his brother’s business, Mounce Automotive.

However, Mounce noted that filling cast positions was one of the most difficult aspects of making his first film.

“That was one of the most difficult tasks with the first one, was finding extras to come out and help,” Mounce explained. “So if anybody’s interested and wants to at least get in front of the camera, there’s some lines with a few of the roles. But for most of them if you can just not look directly into the camera.”

Mounce said he turned to filmmaking after he found a passion for the writing process while crafting his sermons. He explained once he saw the film “Good Will Hunting” and heard the story of how Matt Damon and Ben Affleck wrote the film, he decided to pursue filmmaking.

Patrick Baron can be reached at [email protected].