CFC Drops its Shorts

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Natalie Portman. Gael GarcĂa Bernal. Gus Van Sant. Feist... The Canadian Film Center announced its selections for the 15th annual Worldwide Short Film Festival at a press conference yesterday - and the lineup is chock-full of celebrities.

Will there be TIFF-style glitz and glamour? Probably not. But mark your calendars for June 16th to June 21st because the WSFF had nearly 4000 submissions to choose from this year, so odds are that the festival will have some interesting programs.

The WSFF is one of my favourite local film festivals. It hosts young and bright filmmakers and presents a wide variety of genres (indie, experimental, music videos, and so on) from an even wider variety of places (Bulgaria, China, Toronto, and so on).

WSFF picks have been sorted into 90-minute programs, with themes like 'Rebels with a Cause', 'What You See Is Not What You Get', and 'Conflict Resolution'. Also on the roster, 'Slap n' Tickle' sexy shorts are back, along with the 'Sci-Fi' spectacular, and the scary 'Midnight Mania' programs. There are 31 sets in all and each will screen from 5 to 22 shorts.

Skimming through the program guide, I notice that Chris Landreth is premiering The Spine, his follow up to the Academy Award winning animated short Ryan. Wallace and Gromit will also make an appearance in A Matter of Loaf and Death. Art star Sam Taylor-Wood steps into the director's chair with Love You More, and so does Broken Social Scene's Kevin Drew with The Water, starring his girlfriend Leslie Feist and Cillian Murphy.

Other highlights include the '8' program inspired by the UN's Millennium Declaration, with films by Gus Van Sant, Wim Wenders, and Jane Campion. Plus, I never miss the opening night gala, which features award winning shorts from around the world - kicking off the festival on Tuesday, June 16th at the Bloor with an after party for ticket holders at C-Lounge.