Though short films are a great way to create a calling card, getting them seen is awfully difficult.

But with the Worldwide Short Film Festival, June 13-18 at locations around Toronto, organizers at the Canadian Film Centre hope to reach a broader audience of the public, critics and industry types. The 12th annual WSFF will present 250 shorts from more than 30 countries.

Films at this year’s fest include: Rupture, Quebecer Guillaume Paquin-Boutin’s sensual dance film, featuring the music of Martha Wainwright; Forked, a comedy by B.C.’s Morris Chapdelaine about a man with a vicious case of the munchies; Aruba, an exploration by Oscar-nominated Hubert Davis (Hardwood) of one young boy’s imagination; and Kind of a Blur, American Jon Goldman’s entry about two confused people who wake up on a mountainside after a particularly rowdy rave party, starring Sandra Oh.

This year will also feature a retrospective celebrating 65 years of animation from the National Film Board, including various award-winning shorts and one by Oscar-winning legend Norman McLaren.

The WSFF has a number of different sections, designed for films focussed on sex/romance and comedy (Slap ‘n’ Tickle), star power (Celebrity Shorts), cult and the unusual (Midnight Mania), video games (Machinima) and student films (Film School Showcase).

As always, the WSFF will also reach out to industry insiders, with its popular Short Films, Big Ideas Symposium. Discussions will include Distribution 101, a primer in getting your short film out there; Shorts to Features: The Transition from Script to Screen – advice to those who want to pump up their short film to feature length from a panel including filmmaker Julia Kwan of (Eve & the Firehorse); Make Work Flow, in which industry professionals will discuss the effects of digital technology on their craft; and What’s the Pitch, Doc?, in which pros will exhibit and discuss how to hone pitching skills.

The symposium draws over 300 buyers, distributors and industry delegates from around the globe who network and discuss short films.

www.worldwideshortfilmfest.com