Jessica Rae’s 1990s coming-of-age drama Raise Your Hand out on VOD on June 3 (Trailer)
Raise Your Hand, writer/director Jessica Rae’s 1990s coming-of-age drama about high schoolers in the Midwest will be released on VOD and on DVD, starting June 3, 2025.
Her directorial debut film was inspired by her real-life experiences growing up as a multiracial woman of color in Minneapolis.
The featured cast includes Jearnest Corchado (‘Gia’), Hanani Taylor (‘Lila’), Jess Nurse (‘Ms. Ramsey’), Joel Steingold (‘Amaris’), Gracie Marie Bradley (‘Lyric’), Janet Craig (‘Principal Reynolds’), Gregory Scott Cummins (‘Officer McCance’), Isabella Day (‘Young Gia’), Donat (‘Wish/Shawn Turner’), and Fenix Lazzaroni (‘Leticia/Gia’s Mom’).
Raise Your Hand follows best friends Gia (Jearnest Corchado — Can You Feel the Beat: the Lisa Lisa Story, Sneakerheads, Little America, The Fosters, The Blacklist) and Lila (Hanani Taylor — Criminal Minds, Punky Brewster) as they balance school and personal connections with their family, friends, boys and neighborhood, including the corrupt local police. Gia struggles to maintain her grades and sort through a tumultuous relationship with her mother and stepfather. She attempts to find solace in a relationship with a new boyfriend, Wish, while investing in her writing. Very quickly, however, all of Gia’s relationships go through dramatic, sometimes traumatic, changes, and Gia and Lila find themselves in their own separate fights for both meaning and survival, in a film that is a testament to their perseverance and the power of story.
“As a survivor of sexual assault, Raise Your Hand is deeply personal to me, and the collection of stories represented are those based on my own memories growing up and those of my close friends and family,” said filmmaker Jessica Rae. “It’s because of my real-life champions, some who are represented in this film, that I am now able to share this story, and all the stories represented in this movie.”
Watch the official trailer for Raise Your Hand.
Francis Ford’s Coppola’s Apocalypse Now gets re-released in Cinema (Trailer)
A new 4K restoration of Francis Ford’s Coppola’s Apocalypse Now, in its rarely-seen original 1979 roadshow version, will run at Film Forum for two weeks only, from Friday, June 20 through Thursday, July 3.
Inspired by Joseph Conrad’s novella Heart of Darkness, Apocalypse Now stars Martin Sheen, Robert Duvall, Frederic Forrest, Dennis Hopper, Laurence Fishburne, and Marlon Brando as the renegade Colonel Kurtz.
American Zoetrope’s brand new restoration of the original 1979 film, which for the past 25 years has rarely been screened theatrically, is of the original “Roadshow” version, exactly as it appeared on first release. The Roadshow had no credits whatsoever; instead, ticket buyers were given a 12-page souvenir booklet. Each ticket buyer at Film Forum’s screenings will receive a limited edition glossy facsimile of the original booklet.
Says James Mockowski, American Zoetrope’s Film Archivist and Restoration Supervisor, “We’ve been to careful to protect and restore each one of Francis Ford Coppola’s visions of Apocalypse Now, including his 2001 Redux and the 2019 Final Cut. We’re now proud to present the original 1979 Roadshow version, which looks and sounds exactly like the event film people first experienced by audiences almost 50 years ago.”
Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker’s Apocalypse, the acclaimed documentary chronicling Coppola’s disaster-strewn production of Apocalypse Now, using hours of footage and audio interviews recorded by the director’s wife, the late Eleanor Coppola, will have its U.S. restoration premiere at Film Forum on July 4. A new introduction by Francis Ford Coppola and Sofia Coppola has been recorded especially for Film Forum.
LeBron James & Maverick Carter’s ‘Jim Thorpe: Lit by Lightning’ documentary debuts on History Channel (Trailer)
The two-hour documentary “Jim Thorpe: Lit by Lightning” executive produced by LeBron James and Maverick Carter’s award-winning athlete storytelling brand UNINTERRUPTED will premiere on the History Channel on Monday, July 7 at 8pm ET/PT.
Directed by Chris Eyre (Cheyenne and Arapaho), the documentary offers a comprehensive exploration into the life and legacy of the legendary Olympian and one of the greatest all-around athletes of all time, and explores what it means to be an American through the pivotal intersection of identity and sport.
Considered to be one of the greatest and most versatile athletes of modern sports, Jim Thorpe was the United States’ first Native American Olympic gold medalist. Born on the Sac and Fox Nation reservation in central Oklahoma, Thorpe grew up during a time when Native people were seen as threats to Western expansion. Despite great odds and in opposition to anti-indigenous rhetoric, Thorpe developed an affinity for athletic endeavors, which would ultimately evolve him into a multisport powerhouse and symbol of the strength and perseverance of his Native peoples. In addition to his Olympic success, Thorpe became an invaluable athlete across baseball, football, basketball, and track-and-field.
Featuring narrated excerpts from Thorpe’s unpublished autobiography alongside thoughtful interviews from scholars and sports commentators, and innovative recreations, “Jim Thorpe: Lit by Lightning” offers an all-encompassing look into one of the most impressive, yet unsung, athletes of the 20th century.
True Crime Docuseries ‘ROMCON: Who the F*** is Jason Porter?’ debuts on Prime Video (Trailer)
The docuseries ROMCON: Who the F**k is Jason Porter? directed by Henry Roosevelt will premiere on on Prime Video on June 13. The chilling two-part docuseries exposes the dark side of dating in one of North America’s largest cities.
The series follows successful Toronto real estate broker Heather Rovet as she discovers her perfect three-year romance with “Jace” was nothing but a scam. Her live-in boyfriend was actually Jason Porter, a convicted criminal with a history of romantic deception. As Heather discovers and connects with other victims she transforms from heartbroken lover to determined investigator. Heather risks everything to expose his pattern of manipulation and seek justice.
Exposing the dark side of dating in Canada’s largest city, Toronto, the docuseries reveals how Porter’s trail of deception impacted multiple victims across the city. Through intimate interviews with Heather and other survivors, along with fascinating archival footage and dramatic reconstructions, ROMCON: Who the F**k is Jason Porter? exposes a criminal underbelly of modern dating and the sophisticated tactics used by romance scammers. The series culminates in Heather’s courageous fight for justice.
The docuseries will make its world premiere debut at NXNE in Toronto on June 12 and screen at NXNE in Montreal on June 15.