Enigma premières at Sundance

Kate Winslet stars in Enigma

The Sundance Film Festival will première the British film Enigma, the adaptation of Richard Harris' novel which chronicles British efforts to decode German transmissions during World War Two.

The film, directed by Michael Apted, stars Kate Winslet, Jeremy Northam and Dougray Scott.

It focuses on the efforts of British decoders at Bletchley Park near Milton Keynes, the UK's top secret wartime decoding centre.

Harris' book is based on fact but the plot line, involving a Nazi attempt to overturn the work of the decoders, is fictional.

Sundance was founded by Robert Redford

The Sundance festival, founded by Robert Redford, is the highlight of the US independent film calendar.

The festival opens in January with a screening of My First Mister, directed by former US TV star Christine Lahti.

British movie Sexy Beast will also receive its US première at the festival.

Sixteen feature films are in competition at the two-week festival, including British director Christopher Nolan's film Memento.

The opening film, My First Mister, is about a teenage girl's relationship with a dying 49-year-old man.

Its director, Christine Lahti, won an Academy Award for her directorial debut, a 1995 short called Lieberman in Love.

Veteran independent filmmaker Tom DiCillo, who made Living in Oblivion, shows his police detective film Double Whammy, which stars Denis Leary and Steve Buscemi.

Also among the 17 films in the première section at Sundance is Waking Life by Richard Linklater, the director of 1991 indie hit Slacker.

He also has a film, called Tape, in Sundance's American Spectrum series, which highlights US filmmakers.