2010 PROGRAMS

A Loot Bag o' Laughs: ALTERNATIVE COMEDY SHOWCASE
Hold on to your fake moustaches and frosty beverages! WSFF and Laugh Sabbath’s alterna-comics have bumped heads to bring together a program of wildly wicked shorts and laugh inducing live performances. Don’t miss this one-of-a-kind Film Festival Variety Show devoted to all things silly and surreal!

Celebrity Shorts
While shooting blockbusters and the hottest shows on TV, Hollywood loves to experiment with short films. This year, we bring you the pet project of comedy’s all-stars, an Oscar®-studded take on a children’s classic and a short peek at the world’s biggest heart throb.

Canadian Film Centre: SHORT DRAMATIC FILMS
1200 alumni and 22 years: the Canadian Film Centre is dedicated to launching Canada’s most creative voices in film, television and new media. Come and see these shorts created by our most recent residents.

Closing Screening: FESTIVAL AWARD WINNERS
A screening of the award winning films from this year's festival.
Sunday June 6, 7:00pm, Cumberland Cinema

Midnight Mania: CREEPY
These scary, demented and unpredictable stories will have you shrinking into your seat, pulling up your knees and assuming the fetal position. Laugh, cry, scream – do whatever you need – to help you deal with the discomfort and fear.

DATE NIGHT!
Are you looking for love? Have a fling, find a mate, break your heart – or someone else’s – with this collection of romantic short stories. Bring a hankie and your sense of humour for these true and tall tales of love.

DORIS
In 1999, the Doris network was founded in Sweden with the goal of encouraging and empowering female filmmakers. This omnibus presents seven recent shorts created in accordance with the Doris Manifesto: films must have at least one female lead; scriptwriters are female; the score is composed by a woman; and all key creative positions are filled by women.

Film School Spotlight: CENTRO DE CAPACITACIÓN CINEMATOGRÁFICA
CCC is Mexico’s premiere film school, exemplifying the gold standard of cinematography and championing a bold new wave. To commemorate the bicentennial of Mexican independence, WSFF presents six dynamic short films – exposing a sublimely subversive cinematic underbelly that is both fresh and unforgettable.

Midnight Mania: FREAKY
The stuff that dreams, nightmares and late night TV are made of. Weird, “please explain this to me” head-scratchers, along with sicko heroes who sing, shoot and stab their way into our hearts and minds.

Opening Gala: AWARD WINNERS FROM AROUND THE WORLD
(Repeat: June 6)
We've rolled out the red carpet and saved you the best seat in the house! Join us for a round-up of the year's most winning-est films from around the world. Gold statuette not included.

LAUGHTER WITHOUT BORDERS
A talentless magician from Sweden, sex-crazed robots from Halifax, and Will Ferrell. Need we say more? Take a night off from fretting over global warming, the recession, and your Facebook status to enjoy these comedies from home and abroad.

Lunafest: SHORT FILMS BY, FOR, ABOUT WOMEN
Filled with stories of reflection and whimsy, hope and humor, grace and perseverance, LUNAFEST films are renowned for celebrating the talents and stories of women. They captivate audiences, compel dialogue and arm those who participate with both the knowledge and the motivation to make a difference in their communities.

WHEN ALL IS SAID AND SUNG
Calling all Gleeks, karaoke crooners, HSM hardcores, shower singers and filmi fanatics! This hit list of musical movies uses song and dance to reach emotional high and low notes that lie beyond words.

onedotzero: NEW BRITISH TALENT '09
Check out moving image work by the latest bright sparks and up-and-coming talent from the UK’s filmmaking scene that spans cutting edge documentary, lo-fi animation and tongue-in-cheek horror. New British Talent is curated in collaboration with the BBC’s interactive showcase for British filmmakers.

Official Selection 1: BEHIND CLOSED DOORS
Film is voyeuristic, seducing cinephiles frame by frame. The films in this program delve into the would-be private lives of both real and fictional characters, excavating the cinematic nooks and crannies of the human condition.

Official Selection 2: THE GREATEST LOVE OF ALL
Whether you’re crazy for poodle-training or Iron Maiden, dedicated to hockey or to the Lord Himself, loving something or someone makes this motley crew of characters act in strange and wonderful ways.

Official Selection 3: WHO’S THE BOSS?
Who doesn’t have control issues? An athlete, an empty-nester, siblings and lovers all struggle to gain the upper hand by any means necessary – dramatic power plays, comedic push-pulls, and a few out-and-out battles of the (s)exes.

Official Selection 4: GREY SKIES, GREEN ACRES
As urban spaces encroach on green places, some city mice long for the hills, while others find enterprising ways to thrive in the big, bad city. Take a break from the rat-race with these sweet and surprising tales from town and country.

Official Selection 5: PRETTY POISON
Beneath every shiny surface lurks an ugly, hidden truth. Enjoy these shorts as they cleverly expose the dark side of the moon, the shallowness of physical beauty, the emptiness of fame, the persistence of homophobia . . . and a meatball inside a cupcake.

Official Selection 6: PARENTS JUST DON’T UNDERSTAND
Growing up is hard to do, but this year’s crop of little angels, teenaged hoodlums, wolf pups and Jedi Knights make the growing pains all worthwhile.

Official Selection 7: BEST LAID PLANS
You may be a man with a plan, or a woman with a purpose, but even the best laid plans run into unexpected roadblocks. How you deal with the setbacks, the pickles, the disasters and the changes differentiates the detours from the delights.

Official Selection 8: THE NEW SOCIAL SCIENCES
From cell to psyche, human nature and the mechanics of the plant and animal world make ideal filmmaking fodder. Delve into this lush collection that intertwines the world of science and technology with the realm of the senses – all in the name of celluloid gold.

Official Selection 9: BAD HABITS
Every day, we perform routine actions that become involuntary habits. From shoddy grammar to compulsive quilting, suicidal birds to homicidal impulses, drug dependency to a new brand of talk therapy, breaking a bad habit is hard work.

Official Selection 10: ONE FOR THE ROAD
From heart-wrenching to heartwarming and hitting almost every pit-stop in between, this collection of border and boundary crossing films runs the gamut. Whether traveling geographically or metaphorically, it’s all about the journey, not the destination.

Official Selection 11: NOT JUST FROM VENUS
The oft-described “fairer” sex can mesmerize, beguile and confuse their male counterparts – and each other – to no end. An eclectic group of unforgettable heroines transcend the typical female roles of mothers, lovers and bitches, boldly forging their way in both real and fictional worlds.

Official Selection 12: BOYS WILL BE BOYS
Some men love dolls, some need their mommies, others are true heroes, and a few are just plain rotten. This motley boy’s club of shorts features testosterone-driven dramas, comedies and real life tales of modern masculinity.

Spotlight On Poland: PLATIGE IMAGE
This year’s animation spotlight brings you a not-to-be-missed retrospective of multi-award winning works from Platige Image. These films burst with hauntingly beautiful glimpses, ranging from the galaxies’ outer reaches to the hidden world inside your television.

SPOTLIGHT ON POLAND 1
Polish cinema has a long and rich tradition in all cinematic genres. Early developments in stop motion animation, the documentary form and the art of cinematography can all be attributed to Polish mavericks. We invite you to get acquainted with Poland’s newest and brightest filmmaking talent.

SPOTLIGHT ON POLAND 2
Polish cinema has a long and rich tradition in all cinematic genres. Early developments in stop motion animation, the documentary form and the art of cinematography can all be attributed to Polish mavericks. We invite you to get acquainted with Poland’s newest and brightest filmmaking talent.

PRENDS ÇA COURT! 10 Year Retrospective
For ten years, Prends ça court! has been giving Quebecers something to write home about. This program of nine shorts gives us a not-to-be-missed cross section of recent Quebecois cinema at its best. Sit back and prepare to be blown away!

Scene Not Herd: MUSIC VIDEOS
Now in its seventh year, Scene Not Herd returns with a visual journey celebrating the unique fusion of sights and sounds known as music videos. Featuring works from well-known and obscure artists, as well as established and up-and-coming music video directors, this year’s program pushes boundaries and is not for the faint of heart.

Sci Fi: OUT THERE
Space is a cold dark place, whether we’re talking about the starry expanse or an inner-state. Self-delusion, soil improvement and self-help all factor into these time travelling, future states.

Shorts for Shorties: THE GREAT CHASE!
Ready? Set? Go! Embark upon journeys great and small with a host of charming, giggle-worthy characters in this vibrant collection of animated family films. Then join celebrated animator Jon Izen from CBC’s YAM ROLL series for a drawing workshop. Learn how to develop ideas and kooky characters of your own!

Slap 'n' Tickle
Saucy, sexy and downright naughty, this year’s late-night shorts slip deep between the sheets. Doggie-style lovin’, the true story of a 73-year-old cougar and even the dirty dreams of sheep are just a few pieces of tale that will leave you begging for more.