When Noah Schuffman first auditioned to play the role of Gabe in the new film “eCupid,” the MU alumnus was unsure about how his first major film role would affect his career.

Schuffman said he was excited to find out he had gotten the role after a long audition process.

“I didn’t know the director before I started the audition process, but I had heard nothing but great things about him,” Schuffman said. “I knew I was in for a really great experience.”

Schuffman had previously starred in short films and made guest appearances on television shows such as “Grey’s Anatomy,” Desperate Housewives” and “House, M.D.” but “eCupid” was a new experience for him — the entire film was shot in 12 days.

“When I get a movie, I drop everything in my life at the moment and dive forward into the character and create a life,” he said.

The reason, Schuffman said, is to make the character more believable to the audience.

Schuffman’s role in “eCupid” is his first time leading a feature film, an experience that the actor initially describes as daunting.

Schuffman’s character is the long time boyfriend of Marshall, played by Houston Rhines. After dating for six years, Marshall experiences a crisis on his birthday, prompting him to sign up for a new dating website called “eCupid,” which creates chaos between the couple.

“If you can create a real and believable relationship, everything else just falls into place,” Schuffman said. “The story is not a new story, it’s a romantic comedy, but there’s a new twist on the script because it is very current with technology.”

The film also features MU alumnus Brad Pennington, who is also a friend of Schuffman’s. Schuffman said it was a lot of fun to reconnect with an old friend while on-set

“We both randomly showed up at the same audition,” Schuffman said. “It was the first time we had worked together since we had gone to Mizzou.”

Schuffman will join the film’s director, J.C. Calciano, in presenting the film 1 p.m. Saturday at Ragtag Cinema as a part of Mid-Missouri Pridefest. The Columbia premiere of “eCupid” marks the crew’s fifth festival stop, and there are plans to show the film at 50 other film festivals within the next year.

“The fact that we can promote my film while at the same time promoting the festival, that’s a really cool feeling for me,” Schuffman said. “I think Ragtag is a really awesome theatre that supports local artists, supports independent film, and we need more of that. I really am thankful that they were willing to sponsor us and be a part of this.”

Despite gaining his first starring role, the actor remains adamant that he loves his Columbia hometown.

“I’m going to have a lot of family and friends who are coming to see the film who would usually have to wait to see the film on DVD,” Schuffman said. “I was born and raised here, I love coming home. This has been my life’s dream to act. It’s what I’ve wanted to do since I was a kid. “