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VALLEJO — This area holds a special place for actor George Kosturos.

He met his fiancée in Napa. He also proposed to her there.

Kosturos returns Thursday on a professional level as the Empress Theatre Film Club hosts a free screening of “American Wrestler: The Wizard.” Kosturos plays the lead character.

At the 2016 Napa Film Festival, Kosturos, who spent some of his youth in Rocklin, took home a juried award for best performance as well as an audience award as favorite actor for his portrayal of Ali Jahani, an Iranian teen sent to live with a family in Petaluma in 1980.

Jahani deals with racial discrimination and bullying.

His uncle, with whom he lives, feels the young man has brought bad luck with him from Iran. Jahani, determined to fit in and start a new life, joins his school’s basketball and football teams, with no success. He finds his niche with the school’s floundering wrestling team, where he made it to the state finals.

Kosturos, who played basketball at Pa