Faces to Watch in ’96 : The Year’s in Their Hands : Well, maybe not just theirs (notice we don’t list Jim Carrey). But these artists and entertainers--some you know, some you don’t--are most likely to make some kind of splash in ’96. Ready? Everybody into the pool. : MOVIES : Edward Burns

First-time director Edward Burns, 27, was thrust into the spotlight when “The Brothers McMullen,” the New York-based comedy he wrote, co-produced and starred in, took the top prize at the 1995 Sundance Film Festival.

Filmed on weekends for $25,000, the character-driven movie showcased Burns’ storytelling instincts and keen ear for dialogue. Picked up by 20th Century Fox’s Searchlight division, the film went on to gross more than $10 million.

This summer, Searchlight will release his next movie, a $3.5-million romantic comedy called “She’s the One,” that he also directed, wrote, produced and starred in. Burns’ third project, “Krackers,” will get underway in the fall.

“I’m going to continue to write about the world I know,” says the Queens-born, Long-Island-raised director who, a year ago, was fetching coffee at “Entertainment Tonight.” “The process is too hard and too personal to write about things that don’t come from your heart. I’m in no hurry to go and do ‘Star Wars.’ ”