The 2008 Sundance Film Festival kicks off tonight in Park City, Utah with the world premiere of In Bruges. The directorial debut of playwright Martin McDonough, it’s the story of two London hit men (Colin Farrell, Brendan Gleeson) cooling their heels in the titular Belgian city. For the Independent, it’s the harbinger of a new British invasion, as the first of 23 UK-made films to play this year’s fest.

This year’s Sundance crop is expected to be lighter in sprit than the 2007 edition, according to the New York Times, “offering more comedy and optimism than last year’s batch, which contained many darkly hued films about the Iraq war.” Meanwhile, at the Treasure Mountain Inn at the top of Main Street, Slamdance keeps chugging along – no longer the upstart but still the rebel, according to Variety.

Other than that, there’s not much going on today besides the usual schmoozing, swag-bag hoarding and snow-tubing expeditions. During this calm before the storm, you can refresh your memory of Sundance history with this handy FAQ from the L.A. Times. And if you can’t make it to Park City this year, you’ll miss out on the parties, but you can still catch some of the films: the festival’s official website will be offering up one short for free viewing each day.