Los Angeles film company looking for extras at Santa Rosa shoot

A Los Angeles film production company, working in Sonoma County on a new feature titled 'The Wizard,' plans a two-day film shoot Saturday and Sunday, April 18-19, at Santa Rosa Junior College.

The movie, produced by Petaluma native Ali Afshar, tells the story of a boy who escapes Iran at the beginning of the 1979 Iranian revolution and comes to a small California town, where he becomes a high school wrestler, said company spokesman Michelle Sudduth. ESX Productions has been working on the film for the past several weeks, filming at Tomales High School and Petaluma's Casa Grande High School.

The film's story follows the young wrestler to a tournament, and that is the scene the company plans to film this weekend on the junior college campus in Santa Rosa.

Some 1,500 extras will be needed to play spectators at the tournament. Those interested in participating are invited to come to the college's Haehl Pavilion at 11 a.m. Saturday and 10:30 a.m. Sunday. Extras are encouraged, but not required, to wear hair styles and clothing from the 1970s. For information, email Lisa Fowler-Marsh at leeleebee@gmail.com,

The film, directed by Alex Ranarivelo, features actors William Fichtner and Jon Voight, and stars George Kosturos as the young wrestler. Filming is expected to continue for about two more weeks, Sudduth said.

You can reach staff writer Dan Taylor at 521-5243 or dan.taylor@pressdemocrat.com.