Shorter is better, according to the CFC, and it plans to prove it this week as the 16th annual Worldwide Short Film Festival kicks off in Toronto.

Winnipeg’s Cordell Barker (The Cat Came Back) opens the show with his nine-minute animated short Runaway at the opening gala, paired with music from Genie- and Grammy-nominated composer Benoit Charest (The Triplets of Belleville) from Montreal. The piece was screened at Cannes, Annecy and Sundance last year.

Another Canadian film showing will be the fiction Tungijuq from directors Paul Raphael and Felix Lajeunesse, featuring Inuit throat singer Tanya Tagaq in a meditation on the seal hunt.

Others included in the gala are Seeds of the Fall from Sweden’s Patrik Eklund in its Toronto premiere, which follows a couple’s sparkless marriage. The Six Dollar Fifty Man, from New Zealand directors Mark Albiston and Louis Sutherland, revolves around a young boy who must deal with schoolyard bullying. And Sunday! (C’est Dimanche!) tells the story of an expelled high school boy who tells his father he’s gotten a diploma.

After combing through more than 4,000 submissions, 281 of which were selected from 34 countries, ranging in genre from live action, documentary, animation and experimental. Also present at this year’s fest are a number of international buyers, delegates and industry professionals, as the WSFF will also host conference and market events.

Festival attendees can download the official WSFF iPhone app at the iTunes App store, providing the latest updates on films and events, plus film trailers and filmmaker podcasts.

The CFC will also be presenting its 10th Short Films, Big Ideas Symposium. With 17 sessions, it aims to educate filmmakers as well as offer professional development opps and get the creative juices flowing.

For more information, head over to www.shorterisbetter.com. The WSFF runs until June 6.