Pictured: Director Nick Morgulis oversees while actor Jon-Michael Miller tongs for oysters. Stephen Reeves operates camera under director of photography Brandon Hyde. Photo by Rod Millington.

Fresh off a New York City premiere last week in Times Square, Paradise, FL, the film from Sarasota writer/producer Tony Stopperan and New York-based director and Ringling alum Nick Morgulis that world-premiered as an official selection of the 2015 Sarasota Film Festival, releases worldwide today through the online streaming and purchase site Vimeo. Starting today, the film will be available through Vimeo for rent or to own, and will be added to the listings at Amazon in two weeks time.

Starring Asolo Conservatory alum Jon-Michael Miller as one of the leads, the film revolves around the fraying friendship between two men trapped in a community plagued with drug abuse and addiction. But unlike the cold reality of a documentary film or the tired cynicism that many similarly themed films opt for, “[Paradise, FL] is one of hope,” says Stopperan, “and crafted to show that people are still people, with aspirations and compassion, obligations and friends and family.”

With seven minutes excised from the festival cut of the film and improved audio for the final sound mix, this version of Paradise is markedly different from the one Sarasota audiences saw over a year ago that garnered official selection at four additional festivals that year, including the Gasparilla, Iphias and Virginia Film Festivals, but according to Stopperan, it’s all for the best.

“The festival circuit became, to me, a test audience,” says Stopperan, who used the opportunity, along with Morgulis, to view the film with fresh audiences and measure their work—to see what works and what doesn’t, where to trim and where to cut altogether. The biggest change came Feb. of this year when the team completed a $15,000 fundraising campaign via RocketHub to overhaul the audio. Adding connective score, foley and fixing imbalances in the original mix, “it’s a cohesive and unified sound now,” says Stopperan.

Now the goal is to get the word out and invigorate a grassroots viewership, says Stopperan. Without big name stars on the marquee, word of mouth will be Paradise’s best friend, and these first few days after release will be crucial. “An independent film of our budget is reliant on a vanguard of fans in its early release to start getting the word out,” says Stopperan. “It gets the momentum going.”

To view the film, follow the link below. The film costs $4.99 to rent and $9.99 to purchase.

Pictured: Director Nick Morgulis oversees while actor Jon-Michael Miller tongs for oysters. Stephen Reeves operates camera under director of photography Brandon Hyde. Photo by Rod Millington.

View Paradise, FL here.