Coming-of-Age Drama ‘Raise Your Hand’ Begins Streaming on Digital, VOD With DVD Release on June 3

Gia and her best friend Lila try to survive a rough childhood in a neighborhood where every kid has a sad story to tell. As teenagers, their problems become more complicated and the stakes get raised.

Directed by: Jessica Rae
Starring: Jearnest Corchado, Hanani Taylor, Evan Allen-Gessesse, Donat (as Shawn Turner)
Written by: Jessica Rae
Rating: NR
Running time: 94 minutes
Genre: Drama
Streaming: June 3
Country: USA
Studio: Freestyle Digital Media

Writer-director Jessica Rae’s 1990s coming-of-age drama about high schoolers in the Midwest. Her directorial debut film, it was inspired by her real-life experiences growing up as a multiracial woman of color in Minneapolis. The film follows best friends Gia and Lila 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.