TORN, directed by FilmSchool SF President, Jeremiah Birnbaum, won the Grand Prize Best Feature Film at the 2013 Rhode Island International Film Festival (RIIFF), the largest film festival in New England. Called one of the top 10 film festivals in the United Staes, RIIFF screens more than 200 films from around the world. “Congratulations to the entire cast and crew of TORN. It is such an honor to win this award. Everyone at the festival was extremely friendly and supportive of the film. The audience was amazing with a wonderfully enthusiastic and engaging Q&A,” said Birnbaum.

Set in a quiet California suburban town. TORN tells the story of two families drawn together in tragedy and then ripped apart through prejudice and fear. Maryam Munsif, an upper-middle class Pakistani immigrant, and Lea Pelletier, a working- class single mom, form a deep bond after their teenage sons are killed when a gas line ruptures, causing an explosion at a local shopping mall. But when the police find evidence that a bomb caused the explosion, Maryam’s Muslim son becomes the prime suspect, and their relationship and lives are stretched to the breaking point.

TORN is being distributed by The Film Collective and will be opening theatrically at the Village East in NYC on October 18th and the Music Hall in LA on October 25th.

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Jeremiah Birnbaum
President
SF School of Digital Filmmaking