John Sayles’ Sunshine State was released in American theaters on this day in 2002. The indie film, starring Angela Bassett and Edie Falco, was critically acclaimed for the insightful examination of Florida’s historic past and uncertain future. Bassett plays a newly married woman who returns to her hometown in coastal northern Florida, only to deal with family, business and the impending real estate development that threatens to take over the once familiar land.
Quotable: “I won’t try to second-guess what a Hollywood studio would like to see in a low-budget film so that they will hire me the next time around. I know I will always do better work if I do projects in which I really believe. And if I never get to direct again, I will have made some movies I can feel proud of.”