Two lifelong friends from Rockville Centre hit the silver screen

Rockville Centre natives Britt Berke and Caroline Festa were filled with excitement at the opportunity to premiere their new short film, “Ships,” at the SoHo International Film Festival on Sept. 18.

The 12-minute short follows Beth, a young woman struggling with manic depression. After an intense emotional episode, she seeks help from her therapist. When her therapist is called out to an emergency, Beth is left in the care of Dr. Uhzo, a seemingly bumbling figure who might hold the key to unlocking her path to healing.

This film marks the first time Berke and Festa have worked on a film together. For Berke, 28, the experience was both challenging and rewarding.

“This was the first time either of us have worked in film,” Berke said. “Caroline is a true visionary. She wrote, produced, and starred in it. She was absolutely luminous in this.”

Festa, 28, graduated from Syracuse University, where she had studied acting. She was originally focused on the theater, but decided to shift toward film and TV in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic.

“After the pandemic hit, the industry kind of took a shift into more TV and film,” Festa explained. “It was the first part of the industry that came back.”

The idea for the film came from her own experiences with mental illness and a desire to create a story that could connect with others going through similar struggles.

“The film came from my own personal experience dealing with mental illness,” Festa said. “I wanted to help people and let them know that they’re not alone.”

The film explores Beth’s emotional journey, which Festa notes is filled with extremes. “Her meltdowns are dramatized a bit, otherwise it would’ve probably been a more mundane story,” she said. “It’s about seeing a therapist, taking steps to make yourself better and finding out the root of your personal problems. She is really frustrated, not knowing what is wrong with her.”

The friendship between Berke and Festa began when they were much younger. They first met in the local theater program, “Time to Shine,” at the John A. Anderson Recreation Center on North Oceanside Road.

“We’ve known each other since we were three years old,” Festa said.

Berke said that they were later reunited at South Side Middle School and both went on to take IB Theater at South Side High School under the direction of Pam Seiderman — who retired this past year.

According to Berke, their shared experiences would help lay the foundation for future creative endeavors. “Time to Shine bonds us and how we see the world,” she said.

Festa said that to save time and money, they opted to do the project as a short film. “Shorts are cheaper and easier to do,” she explained.

The film’s process wasn’t easy, with editing, color grading, and sound design requiring careful attention.

“It was a very long process,” Berke said, detailing the extensive work that went into the project. “The film had to be edited, then we did color and sound.”

Despite the challenges, the payoff was huge. Out of 2,500 entries, “Ships” was chosen as one of only 70 films to premiere at the Soho International Film Festival in New York City.

“Our goal was to really try at the film festival circuit,” Festa said. “There are thousands of entries and they only select 70. We knew it was not necessarily a guarantee.”

Festa said that the film channeled some of her own experiences with mental illness to encompass the broader issues of mental health awareness and advocacy, and was in part influenced by stories from others that she read online or saw in the news, in order to add a more dramatic component to the story.

A portion of the film’s funding was donated to the Trevor Project, an organization that supports suicide prevention and crisis intervention for LGBTQ+ youth.

“It was very important for me to give back,” Festa said. “In this world and in this country, LGBTQ+ children are dealing with a lot of hate and bullying, not just from classmates but from leaders . . . If my small donation can be of service, that would mean a lot to me.”

Casting for “Ships” also played a critical role in bringing the film’s story to life. Festa and Berke sent out casting calls and auditioned several actors before settling on Mark Torres and Ashton Muñiz.

“We ended up auditioning and having people referred to us,” Festa said. “They really embodied the characters and were behind the message.”

Berke and Festa went into the premiere eager to see how an audience would receive their film. No one, not even their families, had seen the film yet.

Reflecting on the journey, Festa said she feels a deep connection to the film and its message about mental health.

“Mental health is a journey,” she said. “It’s more common than you think, and it’s important to let people know they’re not alone.”

Their new film tackles these issues head-on, dramatizing a personal story that Festa hopes will resonate with audiences at the festival and beyond.