Women+ in Film & Television – Toronto (WIFT+ Toronto) has selected nine shorts for its 15th annual Showcase.

The event highlights the work of women and non-binary filmmakers in WIFT+ Toronto’s membership base. It will take place at the TIFF Lightbox on May 8.

The projects will be vying for Best Writer, Best Director, and Best of Showcase awards, as well as the Audience Choice honour. A total of $13,000 in cash and in-kind prizes will be awarded, according to a news release.

The selected shorts include Bad Accountant, submitted by writer and producer Rabiya Mansoor; Unibrow, from writer and director Nedda Sarshar; Redlights, submitted by editor Jane MacRae; Meteor, by writer, director and producer Atefeh Khademolreza; and Llamas at the Laundromat, from animator, director, producer and writer Martha Grant.

Rounding out the list are Rock the Cradle, from writer, director and editor Asis Sethi; the Less Than Kosher episode “The Synagogue Viv Hasn’t Been to in 15 Years,” submitted by writer and producer Shaina Silver-Baird; Loud & Here, from writer and director Josiane Blanc; and The Pleasure is all Mine, by writer, director and producer Vanessa Sandre.

“I believe that the diversity and creativity in the 2024 slate very much represents the spirit of our four-decade history of educating, engaging, and empowering the women, non-binary, and other gender diverse people in this industry of yesterday, today, and tomorrow,” said WIFT+ Toronto executive director Karen Bruce in a statement.

Showcase has screened more than 100 projects since launching in 2010. It has featured works by filmmakers such as Jordan Canning (The Lake), Danishka Esterhazy (Astrid & Lilly Save the World), Jasmin Mozaffari (Firecrackers) and Lisa Rideout (Sex with Sue).

Photos courtesy of WIFT+Toronto; pictured (L-R) Rabiya Mansoor, Nedda Sarshar, Jane MacRae (top); Atefeh Khademolreza, Martha Grant, Asis Sethi (middle); Shaina Silver-Baird, Josiane Blanc, Vanessa Sandre (bottom)