FREE COMMUNITY SCREENING AT THE UNIVERSITY OF TAMPA

Join Tampa Theatre and the Henry B. Plant Museum for a FREE community screening in the Reeves Theater (Vaughn Center) on the University of Tampa campus, presented in celebration of the Museum’s “Gaspar’s Gold: Carnival and Community in a New South City” exhibit while the Theatre’s historic auditorium is closed for restoration.

From writer/director John Sayles and starring Angela Bassett and Edie Falco, Sunshine State is the story of small-town Florida facing big-time development told through the eyes of a woman returning to her hometown with her new husband… and a Greek chorus of golfers. As outside investors move in, longtime residents wrestle with what gets preserved and what gets paved over. The fictional tale taps into real Florida history—land booms, tourism, racial legacy, and the constant reinvention of “paradise”—illuminating how the state’s sunny image often comes with complicated tradeoffs.

Ticket not required for this event. Seating in the Reeves Theater is limited and available on a first-come, first-served basis. Doors open 30 minutes before show time.

Followed by a Film Talk with Charles McGraw Groh, Ph.D., Executive Director at Henry B. Plant Museum & Associate Professor of History at University of Tampa and James Deford, Tampa Theatre Film Program Manager, as they lead a discussion on Sunshine State in the context of filmic representations of the state of Florida and its celebrated, sanitized, frequently exaggerated pirate legacy.

Find driving directions to the University of Tampa – Vaughn Center, Campus Map and Parking Map at the UT website or by clicking the image above.