I love putting natural-looking people on screen. I’m really passionate about stories about women, especially women over 40, and that’s what “Proximity” is about. It’s about a 40-year-old woman and a relationship with her mother and the men in her life. That’s not a movie you’re normally going to see in theaters come out of Hollywood.

• Where is “Proximity” shot? We were in four cities: in Chesterfield, at the Landings at Spirit Golf Club. In De Soto, at Walther Park, there’s an outdoor bike-riding scene. Out in Centralia, Ill., that’s where the actual location for the film was supposed to be. It’s a lake house on Lake Raccoon in Centralia. And there’s these “When Harry Met Sally”-like scenes where people talk about their love lives filmed at St. Paul United Church of Christ in Belleville. Everybody in St. Louis seems to have a connection to that church.

• Why do you work with local actors? I think there’s a lot of really artistic types here who need to find one another. Outside of church, and elementary and high school, with adults, I think their dreams get lost a bit. These things are on their bucket list. That’s what I hear — I never get tired of hearing of it — that walking the red carpet with their grandchildren is something they never thought of doing in their life. It’s like prom for grandmas. I love it.