Most film fans can't make it to Sundance. Usually, that's a bearable reality. Movies with stars and established directors get distribution anyway; they play in movie theaters soon enough. But as an avid fan of director Victor Nunez, I have been waiting four long years for his latest film, Coastlines. It seems inscrutable that Nunez's film, first screened at Sundance in 2002, wasn't rushed into theaters. Sure, Nunez is not a household name; he does not helm blockbusters. But his small, intimate films tell honest stories about real people living in real places.

Coastlines in the third of a Florida trilogy. Ashley Judd, an unknown ingenue at the time, gave the performance of her career in the first installment, Ruby In Paradise. Peter Fonda received an Oscar nomination for his moving performance as a reclusive Florida bee keeper who tries to raise his granddaughters in 1997's Ulee's Gold. Coastlines, a thriller about corporate greed in a small Florida town, involves three related story lines. Anthony Kaufman reports that the film, finally, has been picked up by IFC Entertainment. Look for Coastlines in theaters (fingers crossed) this May. [posted by Marcy]