San Diego Asian Film Festival 2008

When Lily and Danny were children in China, they looked out over the Pacific Ocean dreaming of a bright future in America. Years later, they have made it to the United States, but find the reality of their life as immigrants to be very different from their childhood hopes. Working in a hellish kitchen over long, seemingly impossible hours, the pair are still unable to pay the heavy costs of their parents owe back home for their passage. They are desperate to find a way to get the money their family needs.

THE STATE OF SUNSHINE tells the story of brother and sister, Danny and Lily, now living in the vibrant backdrop of the Florida Panhandle. In desperation, the two have been forced to turn to prostitution to pay their debts. Night after night, Danny watches in agony as men pay to sleep with his teenage sister. As the day-to-day realities of their life begins to push the siblings apart, Lily holds onto hope. When she accuses her brother of giving up on their future, Danny, still despairing, dismisses her dreams as naive and impossible. Deeply hurt, Lily buries her hopes forever. At his lowest, Danny is forced to face the realities of his lost dreams, or risk losing his sister forever.