"The Laramie Project" was chosen as the premiere event for the Sundance Festival, which opens this week in Park City and Salt Lake City. Based on the acclaimed stage play by Moises Kaufman, the film follows young filmmakers who are shooting a documentary about the killing of openly gay Wyoming college student Matthew Shepard.

For the film, Kaufman did on-camera interviews with Laramie residents, and his performing cast includes such name actors as Christina Ricci, Steve Buscemi, Laura Linney, Jeremy Davies, Janeane Garofolo and Camryn Manheim.

According to the festival's co-director and director of programming, Geoff Gilmore, the film couldn't come at a better time. "It's about acceptance and tolerance," he said, "two messages that need to be stressed right now."