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The Sundance Institute has announced hat the Opening Night Film for its 2008 Sundance Film Festival is 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 Academy Award-nominee 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. The 2008 Sundance Film Festival runs January 17-27, 2008 in Park City, Salt Lake City, Ogden, and Sundance, Utah.

“In many ways IN BRUGES is a quintessential Sundance film—it’s brutal, philosophical, funny, and totally original,” said Geoffrey Gilmore, Director, Sundance Film Festival. “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 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 if 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. Born in London, McDonagh divides his time between England and Ireland. A creator of scripts for radio plays early in his writing career, McDonagh is now recognized for his sharp dialogue and vivid storytelling that is both provocative and powerful."I'm stunned and thrilled that IN BRUGES will be opening a festival as prestigious, and as cool, as Sundance, and I simply can't wait to attend," McDonagh said.

IN BRUGES tells the story of hit men Ray and Ken, (Farrell and Gleeson, respectively) who, after a badly botched job in London, are ordered by their boss, Harry (Fiennes), to cool their heels in the bucolic city of Bruges, Belgium. Very much out of their comfort zones, the men find themselves drawn into increasingly dangerous entanglements with locals, tourists, and a film shoot. When their stay in Bruges takes a turn for the worst, Ray and Ken realize Harry may have plans for them other than a simple vacation.

"Martin McDonagh's hilariously sad first feature is seemingly modest; but, in fact, highly original. No filmmaker I know has made the English language, in all its profane—and here, quite Celtic—glory, such a purely, joyously cinematic medium," said James Schamus, CEO, Focus Features.

Written and directed by McDonagh, IN BRUGES also stars Clémence Poésy, Thekla Reuten and Jérémie Rénier. IN BRUGES is a Focus Features presentation in association with Film4 of a Blueprint Pictures production in association with Scion Films. The film is produced by Graham Broadbent and Pete Czernin. Executive producers are Jeff Abberley, Julia Blackman and Tessa Ross.

The entire 2008 Sundance Film Festival program announcement will be made on Wednesday, November 28 and Thursday, November 29.