World Short Film Festival unveils 2010 lineup
Last Updated: Tuesday, May 11, 2010 | 4:42 PM ET
CBC News
The Canadian Film Centre's Worldwide Short Film Festival will unspool nearly 300 selections from 34 countries next month, organizers announced Tuesday as they unveiled details of this year's lineup.
"This year really represents a tour de force in shorts programming," festival director Eileen Arandiga said in a statement.
"We have more premieres than ever before, more diverse programming and an incredible line-up of films directed by women," she said, describing 2010's offerings as "a real treasure trove of the best short films and videos from Canada and around the world."
Organizers of the annual Toronto event received a record 4046 submissions this year. Programmers ultimately selected 281 shorts to screen, with the featured films divided into dozens of themed programs, including:
- Laughter Without Borders: Comedy shorts from around the globe.
- Date Night: Romantic-themed films.
- Prends ça court: Recent Quebec cinema.
- Spotlight: Poland 1: Contemporary Polish cinema.
- Spotlight: Poland 2: Retrospective of work from Polish animation house Platige Image.
- Alternative comedy showcase: Comedy shorts and live performance.
- Lunafest: International films focusing on women's stories.
- Doris: Recent shorts created by Sweden's Doris collective of female filmmakers.
- CFC short dramatic films: Five works created in 2009 for the Toronto-based film centre's short dramatic film program.
- Spotlight: Mexico's Centro De Capacitacion Cinematografica: Annual focus on student-made shorts from an exceptional international film school.
- When all is said and sung: Musical shorts.
- Shorts for shorties: Animated family films.
- Scene not herd: Avant-garde videos by established and emerging artistic filmmakers.
- Celebrity shorts: Films starring or created by Hollywood and international celebrities, including Robert Pattinson, Will Ferrell, Don Cheadle, Liane Balaban, Vincent D'Onofrio and Dick Van Dyke.
- Sci-fi: Out there: Live action and animated science-fiction shorts.
- Slap 'n' tickle:Late-night humour and risqué shorts.
- Midnight mania: Two programs of horror and thriller shorts.
Each program will last 90 minutes.
Aside from the film screenings, the festival will also host a shorts marketplace as well as a range of industry sessions about funding, pitching, screenwriting, distribution, licensing and other topics aimed at filmmakers.
The 16th edition of the World Short Film Festival — billed as North America's largest celebration of short film — runs from June 1 to June 6 in Toronto.
The opening night gala will comprise a program of award-winning shorts from other festivals around the globe.
The event ends with a Sunday evening screening of the 2010 Worldwide Short Film Festival award-winners, including recipients of the coveted audience choice prize.
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