NEW YORK — With Sundance just over a week away, Adrienne Shelly would be excitedly packing her suitcase in her Tribeca apartment, eagerly anticipating the magical moment when her movie was to premiere at the prestigious festival.

On the cusp of fame, the striking actress/director would surely be floating on air as she looked toward the future.

Tragically, she will not take the trip of a lifetime to the snow-covered Utah resort and accept credit for "Waitress," the indie production that she wrote, directed and acted in.

Instead, Shelly's ghost will haunt the event, due to mark her proudest accomplishment when her face appears on screen at the film's opening night.

The 40-year-old was found hanged in a shower last November in what first appeared to be suicide — but turned out to be a brutal murder that shocked this city.

The senseless killing not only robbed New York of one of its most creative talents, it left Sophie, her beloved 2 1/2-year-old daughter, without a mother. As she grows, friends can only hope the little girl will take comfort from knowing that Shelly's greatest hopes were realized by her entry at Sundance.

"It was her dream," says film director Reid Rosefelt, a close friend who worked with the actress. "Sundance is the place to get in, and she had never had that before.

"It's the achievement of a lifelong goal."

Rosefelt will join Shelly's bereaved family and other friends at the emotionally charged premiere of "Waitress" on Sunday.

"Her family is so excited about the film being at Sundance," adds Michael Roff, who produced the movie, which co-stars Keri Russell from TV's "Felicity."

"I know Adrienne knows what is going on and she is very proud. She is just beaming. ... I'm focused on how ecstatic she would be.

"The film embodies who Adrienne was in such a strong way, there is no better way to pay tribute," Roff continued. "It is really nice that it is a happy film which shows what kind of place she was in that point of her life. It was an incredibly excited, anticipatory place."

Shelly was finally getting the recognition she deserved after appearing in more than 20 movies, including 2005's "Factotum" with Matt Dillon.

She was perhaps best known for her roles in the independent flicks "Trust" and "The Unbelievable Truth," which won acclaim at Sundance, but she had since moved behind the camera, into writing and directing.

She was driven by a consuming passion, which, in a terrible twist, may have contributed to her death on Nov. 1, 2006.