At Sundance, 'it's the films, stupid'

PARK CITY — As with other recent Sundance Film Festivals, the catchphrase for the 2008 edition is "Focus on Film." And when Sundance officials say that, they really mean it.

That was certainly the case during an opening-day news conference Thursday at the Egyptian Theatre. When a question-and-answer session began concentrating too much on Robert Redford and his political beliefs, the Sundance Institute head quickly steered the conversation back to this year's Sundance filmmakers.

He even shot down a nosy question about a possible presidential endorsement with a terse "no" and observed that "the purpose of this festival is to give filmmakers an opportunity to get their films seen."

Of course, in recent years the festival has also been about the stars. In addition to Redford, other notable celebrities setting off flashbulbs at Thursday night's red-carpet kickoff included bad-boy actor Colin Farrell, one of the stars of the opening night premiere film "In Bruges."

A comic thriller, the film stars Farrell and Brendan Gleeson as two London-based assassins who are ordered to lie low in Belgium.

Redford helped introduce the film and said he is proud of what the festival, the premier showcase for independently made features and shorter work in the United States, has been able to accomplish in its nearly 30-year existence. That includes "discovering, nurturing and helping develop new talent."

Festival director Geoffrey Gilmore agreed, and noted that the festival's earlier success stories include acclaimed directors Quentin Tarantino, P.T. Anderson and the Coen brothers, who all had early films showcased at Sundance.

Both he and Redford saluted the 55 first-time directors who have works in this year's festival. "It's exciting to see the number of new filmmakers that are here this year," Redford said.

One of those first-timers is award-winning Irish playwright Martin McDonagh, who directed "In Bruges."

He appeared with Redford and Gilmore to introduce "In Bruges" before its first public screening at the Eccles Theatre.

Gilmore touted the film's "brilliant writing and performances," which seemed to embarrass McDonagh. The screenwriter-director jokingly asked, "How do I top that?" and then said he was interested to see how his film would be judged.

Of course, Redford added that it was up to the Sundance audience "to decide for yourselves."