On Thursday Oct. 19, San Diego International Film Festival will air the West Coast premiere of feature film “To Fall in Love” at 1 p.m. at AMC 14 UTC. The micro-budget indie film written by Jennifer Lane has themes of romance and estrangement in a twisty love story created by four debut local filmmakers.

Under the expertise of director Michael Lewis Foster, the film follows the life of a married couple who, in a last effort to save their relationship, are using 36 questions to rekindle their love.

Merryn, played by Beth Gallagher, and Wyatt, played by Eric Casalini, are the only two characters in the film. The plot follows them through various locations across San Diego, highlighting the realities of relationships and addressing a multitude of human feelings, thoughts and emotions.

“They are both such strong performers; it has been a joy to watch them stick with the story,” Lane said.

This story was originally written as a play after Lane read a New York Times article titled “To Fall in Love With Anyone, Do This.” After a speedy three day writing spree, Lane had the story on paper and shared it with Casalini. That script won the Tennessee Williams One-Act Play Competition. Ultimately, a shortened play was created and entered into the San Diego International Fringe Festival with Casalini and Gallagher taking the stage.

After the Fringe Festival and a tour of shows across the world, the tight-knit cast and crew that all met in San Diego made the decision to turn the play into a film. Adapting the characters, themes, plot and settings to fit what was needed for a movie, they began filming.

“In the play version, the entire thing takes place in the apartment, whereas in the film we were able to show different locations and we were able to make the world feel bigger,” Lane explained.

For Casalini and Gallagher, jumping from stage to screen in their roles has been a rollercoaster of exciting emotions. Gallagher, who also played the role of producer for the film, reflected on the most rewarding and challenging aspects of adapting from play to film.

“I remember Eric and I sitting in a hallway of USD and we just hysterically cried and laughed reading the play out loud. I said ‘I have to be involved with this,’” Gallagher explained. “The style of going from stage to screen is different and is a challenge. I am so excited to have people see Jennifer’s work; I am in awe of the skills she possesses.”

Throughout the film, as the lives of Merryn and Wyatt unfold, the audience glimpses the turbulence many may face in their own life, something both Casalini and Gallagher found thrilling and challenging to portray.

“To do this performance was a fascinating challenge. It was great to be able to share those moments with people,” Casalini explained.

After the countless hours poured into this film, the cast and crew are eagerly anticipating their return to San Diego for the International Film Festival. After attending the Heartland International Film Festival on Oct. 7, the group will make their way back to San Diego, ready to share their creations with the city that sparked so much of the film itself.

“I am very excited at the possibility of someone with some influence seeing this. There is always the chance that when this plays in a festival, someone may see this and like it, either as is or pouring money into it and re-shooting it. It is so great to just have eyes on it,” director Foster explained.

This is the second time a film of Foster’s has entered the San Diego International Film Festival and he is looking forward to being immersed in the sea of creativity again.

“The San Diego International Film Festival is notoriously difficult to get into. They are so choosey and they get so many submissions,” Foster said.

Tonya Mantooth, CEO and Artistic Director of the San Diego International Film Festival, touched on a similar point, explaining that the process for films chosen is not only lengthy but extremely selective.

“We have about 60 film screeners, and we go through the vetting process. The screeners watch the film many times and there is a pyramid process where the final films are selected. This is all based on the caliber of films we set as an example. We also have programmers watching the films and making their recommendations,” Mantooth explained.

Mantooth, who has viewed “To Fall in Love” already, is anticipating an excellent response from the audience.

“It is really about coming out and being part of a bigger community. The thing about ‘To Fall in Love’ that I really liked is the idea of having two actors— and that is not an easy choice. I think it was done so well, from the writing to the directing and the performance, it was done very well,” Mantooth said. “Over the course of the film, you see the characters as raw and real and it makes the film very relatable. We always highlight local filmmakers and this will be a great opportunity to show the great work coming out of San Diego.”

Those interested in attending San Diego International Film Festival can learn more at https://sdfilmfest.com/film-festival-2023.

Those looking for more information on “To Fall In Love” can learn more at https://tofallinlove.weebly.com.