If they couldn’t shoot their movie in Winona Lake, the producers of “Nouvelle Vie” (“New Life”) – Drew Waters and Erin Bethea – would have just sat on it, they said in a phone interview Thursday morning. But thanks to the support of Dr. Dane and Mary Louise Miller, filming will start in the Village at Winona in just a couple of weeks, and a casting call is this weekend. Casting for speaking roles and extras, both male and female, ages 8 and up, will take place at Wyndham Garden, 2519 E. Center St., Warsaw. Audition times are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and noon to 4 p.m. Sunday. All experience levels are welcome. For a complete list of audition information and what roles are available, or to sign up to be an extra, visit the website at www.newlifethemovie.com “The odds of being an extra are very much in your favor,” Bethea said. Waters, who also is directing, said the movie is his creation. The basis for it was that his grandfather died of a broken heart, and when he gave up on life others who depended on him were at a loss. “I set up to make a movie of the positive moments in life leading to grief, but coming out on the other side, the positive side of it,” he said. Originally, Waters said the movie was set up to be a support tool for people grieving. Over the last few years, he said they talked to a lot of counselors who said there were two things a person could do to help someone with loss. The first is to talk to them, but another option is to open up photo albums and go through the photos with the person because people take photos at positive times in their life. “Nouvelle Vie” tells the journey of a boy and girl who meet at a young age and whose love for each other grows over the years. When one of them experiences a loss, a new path to hope must be found. The road to the film being shot in Winona Lake has been a journey in itself. Waters is ex-military, a U.S. Navy veteran. He’s been coming to Winona Lake the last four years. The Millers were big supporters of the military and organizations like Wish For Our Heroes Inc., putting the non-profit organization on the ML Motorsports racecar. Waters also has supported the organization dedicated to assisting the men and women of the United States active-duty military. While Bethea and Waters were looking for locations to shoot the movie, he suggested to her that she come see Winona Lake. Liking what they saw, they asked the Millers if the movie could be shot in the area and the Biomet co-founder and his wife agreed. It’s hard to shoot a film in Indiana, Waters said, because so much has to be brought in. However, with the Millers’ support, he said it became possible. “They are the big reason we’re here,” he said. With Dane’s passing Feb. 10, continuing to make the movie in Winona Lake is a way to honor him, Waters said. “He was so excited about it. The community is excited about it. We know how much he loved the town. We told Mary Louise we were going to shoot it in Winona Lake or sit on it,” he said. Bethea said the movie also is a great way to showcase Winona Lake and how beautiful the area is. Waters said two-thirds of the film will be shot around Winona, with a few scenes shot in Warsaw and Goshen. “We’re using Grace College, the coffeehouse, the park, restaurants,” he said. Bethea said they also are sneaking local staples into the movie like Maple Leaf duck and other connections. As for a timeline for the film, Bethea said next week they will be shooting one day in California and then they will be here June 22. Waters said they plan to get the movie into film festivals, but hope to have a red carpet premiere for the town in the spring, possibly in April. He said they want a theatrical release for their film. “Between the two of us, we have over 80 projects we’ve been involved in” as actors, producers and writers, he said, so they know a little bit about the process. Waters has been a part of such shows as “Bones,” “NCIS,” “Breaking Bad” and “Friday Night Lights.” Bethea, who also will act in “Nouvelle Vie,” launched her career in film opposite Kirk Cameron in “Fireproof.” “You take a movie like this, our company flagship movie, with Mary Louise’s help, we can put the movie together that we want,” Waters said. Lead actor for the film is Jonathan Patrick Moore. “He’s been in a lot of Hallmark movies, but he’s best known for the television series ‘The LA Complex’,” Bethea said. Waters said Bill Cobbs also will be a part of the cast. He is best known for “Night at the Museum,” “Oz the Great and Powerful” and “The Muppets” (2011). While Waters has directed before, Bethea said “Nouvelle Vie” is his feature film directorial debut. “This is my baby,” Waters said. “It’s a personal journey for me. I have every beat in my head.” On the Net: Wish For Our Heroes: https://wishforourheroes.org/ “New Life”: www.newlifethemovie.com
