Although we skipped out on this year's Sundance Opening Day press conference, a press release was quickly released with quotes from Sundance found Robert Redford, the festival's director Geoffrey Gilmore and Martin McDonagh, who directed the festival's Opening Night film, In Bruges, which we'll have a review of later tonight. (We'll also have an our own exclusive interview with McDonagh shortly.)
Park City, Utah--The 2008 Sundance Film Festival opened today with a press conference at the Egyptian Theatre featuring Robert Redford, President and Founder of Sundance Institute, Geoffrey Gilmore, Director of the Sundance Film Festival, and Martin McDonagh, director of the Festival’s Opening Night film, “In Bruges.” The Sundance Film Festival is a core program of Sundance Institute, a non-profit organization dedicated to the discovery and development of independent artists and audiences. The Festival runs from January 17-27, 2008, in Park City, Salt Lake City, Ogden and Sundance, Utah. In addition to film screenings, the Festival showcases emerging talent in the fields of visual arts, music, animation and dialogue. The complete Festival program is available at www.sundance.org/festival.
“As from the beginning, the Sundance Film Festival is about discovery of new talent and of issues that are resonating with filmmakers and artists alike,” said Robert Redford, President and Founder of Sundance Institute. “This year filmmakers are putting a personal focus on issues relating to the world we live in rather than addressing them on a macro-political level. And it’s exciting to me to see a new community of storytellers cross over from different points of origin: the playwright who brings his words to the screen, the poet who shares her story through music, the advocate who invokes social change through documentary and many other artists whose works extend beyond the screen.”
For the 2008 Sundance Film Festival, 125 feature films were selected from 3,624 submissions. This year’s Festival includes films from 34 countries ranging from Columbia, Denmark, Jordan and New Zealand, to Japan, Panama, Pakistan and Russia. The Festival also presents 83 short films from a total of 17 countries representing dramatic, documentary, and animated forms selected from 5,107 submissions. Panels, workshops, music, multimedia installations and other experimental film works at the Festival's New Frontier on Main art space round out the Program.
"We can never predict what will capture the collective consciousness of filmgoers; however, the range of diverse voices this year suggests a Festival at its very best: thought provoking, enticing and expansive," said Geoffrey Gilmore, Director of the Sundance Film Festival. "There are 55 first-time filmmakers; selections from countries never before represented; ambitious, raw performances and well-known actors in unexpected roles. What is provocative, exciting, is the process of films finding their audience. "
The 2008 Sundance Film Festival gets underway tonight at the Eccles Theatre with the Opening Night film, the world premiere of “In Bruges,” written and directed by first-time feature filmmaker and award-winning playwright, Martin McDonagh. With an international cast starring Ralph Fiennes, Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson, “In Bruges” tells the suspenseful, twisted tale of two London hit men ordered to take a forced vacation in Bruges, Belgium, and how their subsequent time in exile goes awry.
“In many ways, ‘In Bruges’ is a quintessential Sundance film—it’s brutal, philosophical, funny, and totally original,” said Gilmore. “Martin McDonagh is a masterful storyteller, a tremendously gifted playwright and provocative risk-taker and we are thrilled to showcase his feature-length directorial debut.”
McDonagh’s first foray into filmmaking was with the short film, “Six Shooter”, also starring Brendan Gleeson, which won the Academy Award for best live-action short film in 2006. A winner of two Olivier Awards for the plays “The Lieutenant of Inishmore” and “The Pillowman.” He is also a four-time Tony Award-nominated playwright of “The Beauty Queen of Leenane”, “The Lonesome West” and “The Pillowman.” McDonagh is recognized for his sharp dialogue and vivid storytelling that is both provocative and powerful.
"Geoffrey Gilmore and the good people of Park City have truly rolled out the red carpet for my lead actors, our producers, and myself. It's a thrill to be world-premiering our movie ‘In Bruges’ in the Sundance Film Festival. Since I expect that at least some of us will have worn out our welcome by Sunday brunch, I'm going snowboarding while there's still time." said McDonagh.
Audiences will have an opportunity to hear McDonagh's views on filmmaking at Film Church with Martin McDonagh, to be held on Sunday, January 20 at the Filmmaker Lodge.
Other Festival highlights include the Salt Lake City Gala on Friday, January 18 at the Rose Wagner Theatre, featuring the World Premiere of “The Great Buck Howard,” directed by Sean McGinly and starring Colin Hanks, John Malkovich and Emily Blunt about a law school dropout who answers an advertisement to be a celebrity's personal assistant.
On Wednesday, January 23, Sundance en Espanol, a celebration of Latin films and
filmmakers participating in the Festival, will screen a collection of six Spanish language films and four films in English by Hispanic and Latino directors. Those screenings will be held at three Salt Lake City venues.
On Friday, January 26, the Closing Film screening in Park City signals the Festival’s final weekend. This year’s Closing Film is the world premiere of Neil Young's “CSNY Déjà vu”, which examines Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young's connection to its audience in both political and musical terms, and the relationship between Vietnam- era sentiment and today's political environment.
