Premiering at the Miami International Film Festival, which runs from March 4th until March 11th this month, Born and Raised is a coming-of-age drama about a teenager in the Florida panhandle who begins considering venturing out of his small town to escape his interpersonal conflicts.

Born and Raised is written by Nick Loritsch and directed by Joshua Dragge. The film's writer Loritsch stars in the lead role of Bubbs, Miami native Dawntavia Bullard plays his girlfriend Corey, and Jackson Pyle, Sandra Staggs and newcomer Keith Hudson, who plays Corey's brother, round up the cast.

Here's the full synopsis:

Young Bubbs was born and raised in his seaside Florida panhandle small town, and has had a relatively low range of motion when it comes to experiencing the world. His fed-up and restless girlfriend Jess announces she is dumping him to run off to Tampa with a new flame. His only views beyond the horizon come from the well-to-do boaters who stop at the marina for pit stops. One of those is his grandfather Frank, a rascally sort who has been estranged for many years from Bubb’s mother, whom he abandoned at a young age. When a rift opens up between Bubbs and his long-time best friend Kenny over Bubb’s new-found romantic interest in Kenny’s sister, Corey (Miami’s own Dawntavia Bullard), Bubbs for the first time starts to think that getting out of his suddenly claustrophobic small town is not such a bad idea after all…

Filmed on location in Panama City, director/producer Joshua Dragge and writer/producer/star Nick Loritsch created this authentic, deeply Floridian production over a number of years, and the romantic use of our great state’s setting gives this drama an atmospheric sizzle. The naturalistic performances of actors such as Keith Hudson and Jackson Pyle, in addition to Bullard and Loritsch’s fine work, contribute to the down-home, genuine sincerity of this sweet film.

Watch the film's trailer below: