The third annual Toronto Worldwide Short Film Festival wrapped June 8 boasting double the number of participants at its workshop series over last year, but the marketplace fell short of expectations; only 15 of the 33 registered industry executives showed up to scout product and new talent.

‘The workshops were far more valuable than the market,’ says Winnipeg filmmaker Paul Ullrich. ‘When the panels ended filmmakers rushed the speakers.’ Ullrich shopped his animated short Love Means Never Asking You To Shave Your Legs after the sessions, handing out tapes to reps from Nelvana, Ph’enix Animation, Vision tv, cbc and Showcase.

Producers and buyers concur that most of their contact came via the workshop panels at the SkyDome Hotel rather than the actual marketplace, held at a separate venue.

Filmmaker Abigail Steinberg, for example, participated in the animation workshop with Nelvana rep Larry Jacobs, who later asked for a copy of her short Jules. Steinberg is also in post on a 35mm feature called Probability Zero.

Laura Michalchyshyn, acquisitions manager and producer for wtn’s Shameless Shorts, was a panelist who notes that holding the workshops and the marketplace at different locations hampered buyer-producer contact.

Looking to acquire over 26 half-hours of short programming (roughly 65 films) for the upcoming season, Michalchyshyn met up with filmmakers at the workshop and left with three deals in the works. She also finalized licences for Edda’s Song, a drama from Toronto’s Vanessa Vaughan, and The Hangman’s Bride from Naomi McCormack, also Toronto-based. Fees are a flat $65 a minute for a non-exclusive window, she says.

Vaughn piqued interest from u.s.-based Blink Multimedia and is following up leads with cbc Canadian Reflections and The Knowledge Network. She also scored a commercial screening during the festival for Edda’s Song, which ran as a trailer for the open-captioned version of Liar, Liar at the Bloor Cinema where twsff screenings also took place.

A number of Canadian filmmakers have been invited by James Healy, shorts programmer for the Chicago International Film Festival, to submit their films for possible entry into competition. Healy says even if they don’t make the jury’s short-list he expects to screen many of them at the Oct. 9 -19 event.

Invited films include first-time Vancouver director Nathan Garfinkle’s This Way Up, which won the jury award for best dramatic short at the recent Film Fest New Haven, Toronto filmmaker Christine Deacon’s Twisted Sheets, Brian McPhail of Ottawa’s animated short Stiffy, Toronto-based David Ostry’s Legs, and Saskatchewan filmmaker Daniel Wright’s Treadman.

Overall, Michalchshyn is calling the festival ‘a great resource for soliciting new material.’ She says the range of titles was broad, and with many shot on 35mm, production values were impressive. ‘The festival should be given kudos for making lots of information on product available to distributors,’ she adds.

One filmmaker using his short as a calling card to move into feature production was Montreal’s James Rae. He toted his Lost In The No-Zone to meetings with Miramax reps who were on the scene scouting new talent and pitched a half-hour drama to Family Channel’s Sandy Walmark who has asked to see a more developed proposal.

Peter Flemmington, Vision’s director of programming, took part in the Network Pitch, as did Tara Ellis of cbc’s Canadian Reflections. Both came away with numerous tapes to screen and say deals will follow.

Alliance Broadcasting’s director of program acquisitions and contracts Lori Rosenberg picked up titles for Showcase.

An awards program capped the festival and of the 130 films vying for prizes three Canadian films emerged winners. Toronto filmmaker Christine Deacon’s Twisted Sheets and Mireille Dansereau of Montreal’s Les Marches De Londres tied for best Canadian short, while Toronto writer Tad Seaborn won the Screenplay Giveaway Contest for his Necrology script.

Three American productions took home awards: Curtiss Clayton’s The Man Who Counted, best drama; Elizabeth Lindsey’s Then There Were None, best doc; and Boot Camp from John Scott Mathews, best experimental.

Alexandre Monnier and Elie Khalife of Lebanon were named best directors for Taxi Service, Australian director Justin Case’s Final Cut took best overall, and the Belgium short Bernols Family from Luc Otter scored the animation win.