Shorts by a bevy of name directors including thesp Kate Hudson, Lars von Trier and Winnipeg’s Guy Maddin will unspool at the CFC Worldwide Short Film Festival, which returns next month with its largest lineup ever.

‘It’s the most we’ve ever had,’ says fest director Eileen Arandiga of the 268 shorts from 31 countries.

The 14th edition of the fest kicks off June 10 with an opening gala of award winners, featuring BAFTA winner The Pearce Sisters from the U.K.’s Luis Cook, and Paradise by Canuck filmmaker Jesse Rosensweet, which also screened at the Toronto International Film Festival last year. The shorts are arranged into dozens of 90-minute programs.

Randall Okita’s Machine with Wishbone will open the official selection of films in competition, screening in the aspirational I Have a Dream program, while Guy Maddin’s Odin’s Shield Maiden will bow in A Brief History of Our Time, which looks at the past.

The popular Celebrity Shorts program is a highlight at the fest, according to Arandiga, who says it offers a good introduction to shorts for people not as familiar with the genre.

‘The big names add a layer of familiarity,’ she adds.

Among them are Danish director Von Trier’s Occupations, about a French businessman who cannot keep his mouth shut during a screening at the Cannes Film Festival, while Hudson makes her directorial debut with Cutlass, a 15-minute short about a daughter who asks her parents for an expensive guitar. It stars Chevy Chase, Dakota Fanning and Kurt Russell.

The fest will also spotlight Japan, focusing on Japanese animation with three programs including the anthologies Genius Party and Genius Party Beyond, from animation powerhouse Studio4°C – known for The Animatrix series of animated shorts, created as an homage to The Matrix films.

The fest expects around 400 industry delegates to work the market through industry events such as the four-day Short Films, Big Ideas Symposium, featuring 13 workshops including the Who Buys What panel, where buyers discuss what they’re looking for when acquiring shorts.

The Canadian Film Centre Worldwide Short Film Festival runs through June 15.