The film from British director Jon Wright and writer Kevin Lehane sees stars Richard Coyle, Ruth Bradley, Russell Tovey star alongside Derry actress Bronagh Gallagher – and they arrived in Inishowen last December with 100 staff and crew!
The famous Five Finger Strand, Malin Town, Moville and Malin Head were all used as locations for the comedy horror.
The film, about the invasion of an Irish fishing village by giant squid-like creatures, was was backed by the Irish Film Board.
Producer Tracy Brimm said the crew had an “extraordinary experience” filming in Ireland.
“The beautiful Donegal landscape is a featured character in Grabbers , and we had an extraordinary experience shooting the film in Ireland. We had a terrific team working with us and a very warm local reception,” said Ms Brimm.
“Being invited to screen the film in Sundance is an incredible honour and we could not dream of a better platform to launch the film. We have no doubt that this will put Ireland in the spotlight and will certainly shine a light on some great Irish talent with a big future ahead of them, especially screenwriter Kevin Lehane and actress Ruth Bradley.”
Aideen Doherty of the Donegal Film Office also welcomed the announcement. “Grabbers featuring at Sundance confirms that it is always worthwhile to jump at every opportunity that comes our way. We are committed to ensuring that Donegal is seen as a viable location for film,” said Ms Doherty.
The Sundance Film Festival was founded by the actor Robert Redford. It is the largest independent cinema festival in the US with more than 50,000 people attending screenings in Park City, Utah.