Nate Berman, a senior at Hopewell Valley Central High School, will showcase his documentary, Anything is Possible, at the 23rd annual Garden State Film Festival in Asbury Park this Saturday, March 29.
The film tells the story of Blake Peters, the only Jewish player on the 2023 Princeton University men’s basketball team, who helped lead them to the NCAA Sweet 16. And after the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas-led attacks on Israel, how Peters faced antisemitism on campus.
On Oct. 7 Hamas and other Palestinian militant groups launched attacks from the Gaza Strip into southern Israel, killing almost 1,200 people triggering the ongoing Gaza war.
Berman’s interest in filmmaking began in 2023 when he came across his father’s old Canon EOS 5D Mark III camera in his office. His father is a video producer and director.
“I was honestly pretty interested in doing photography at the time,” Berman said. “My friend did it for my school’s basketball team. He made videos and stuff like that.”
Once his father brought the camera home, Berman dove into YouTube tutorials to learn how to use it. That year, he began shooting videos for the basketball team.
“I began to really fall in love with it,” Berman said. “That summer, I upgraded my camera, and during my junior year, I produced my first film during the spring and that was Anything is Possible.”
Berman was inspired to create the five-minute documentary after the Oct. 7 attacks. Deeply connected to his Jewish community, he said the experience left him vulnerable and questioning. At school, he felt vulnerable hearing everyone talking about the attacks and making speculations and accusations about what happened.
He attended a memorial rally at Princeton University, where he met Peters. The two connected through their shared faith and love of basketball.
“At first, I wanted to highlight Blake’s achievements in basketball,” Berman said. “But as I got into interviewing him, I really saw that he’s very deeply connected to his faith just like I was, and so I really wanted to tap into that.”
Berman hopes the film brings the community together and reminds people that they are not alone.
“I saw the hurt in the community, but I also wanted to show a lot of hope,” he said. “I didn’t want to show all the pain that people felt. I really just wanted to bond the community together through our shared hurt.”
The documentary has received positive feedback since Berman’s father shared it on Facebook and LinkedIn.
“I know a little kid said he wanted to work hard and was motivated by Blake,” Berman said. “I thought that the film really sparked a lot of community appreciation.”
Michael Vitellaro, Berman’s video production teacher at the high school, encouraged him to apply to the GSFF.
“I applied to some film festivals in the past, and I got into them, but then recently I have had a streak of not getting into the past five,” Berman said. “So when I got into the Garden State Film Festival I was pretty joyful, honestly.”
Berman and Vitellaro have a close relationship. Berman often stays after class to ask questions and discuss projects.
“He helped me get into film, too, because I took his class sophomore year and that’s what really got me into film,” Berman said. “I think he’s been a big influence on me being a filmmaker.”
Vitellaro worked in television and video production for more than 20 years before switching careers four years ago. Now, he focuses on growing student talent.
“I can give them all the ideas, I can encourage them, but they also have to take matters into their own hands,” Vitellaro said. “I’m glad that he did.”
He praised Anything is Possible and Berman’s approach to a difficult subject.
“Beyond his years, for sure,” Vitellaro said. “It’s close to home for Nathan’s religion, and telling a story like that isn’t easy. It’s a very delicate subject matter and he handled it professionally and maturely. That piece could’ve aired on any network that I worked at in my career.”
As for Berman’s future, Vitellaro is confident.
“I’m very proud of him. It’s well deserved,” he said. “I think he’s at a level that meets or exceeds any festival that he would submit to.”
Currently, Berman is creating short-form sports content and working on a new film he hopes to release in May. He also plans to create a narrative film in the future.
After graduation, he hopes to attend film school. He has applied to programs at USC, Indiana, and Syracuse.
“We’re gonna definitely miss him,” Vitellaro said. “I’m just glad that I was able to guide him and hopefully raise his level from the time that we met to now.”
photos provided by Nate Berman
