“Torn” is the name of this year’s project by the Youth Moviemaking Workshop, sponsored by the Reichhold Center for the Arts. Featuring twelve students ranging from 13 to 17 years old, the film was made in two weeks and shot on location at the Island Beachcomber Hotel in St. Thomas. It is free and open to the public at the Reichhold theatre.

The film deals with cultural issues, centering on the experiences of a young boy from the Dominican Republic named Jose (Brandon Wadsworth) and a girl he befriends on the beach named Cheyenne (Damara Donovan). It is through this friendship that the conflict of the film arises from.

“Torn” was directed by students Calis Cuthbertson and Larise Joasil under the guidance of Michael Kuetemeyer, professor in the Film and Media Arts program at Temple University, and freelance filmmaker Anula Shetty of Philadelphia, Penn.

Highly regarded by Reichhold Foundation, the Youth Film Workshop prides itself on teaching discipline and teamwork through hands-on editing and technical work. This kind of training involves skills in scriptwriting, videography, photography and animation.

Examples of their works can be found on the Reichold-YMW website.

- Joseph Natividad