Canadian short filmmakers have a slew of local funding sources like the NFB and Bravo!FACT, but few ways to forge long and successful careers via the local multiplex outside of the festival circuit.

That may change when cinema-goers from Feb. 15 see the horror feature Grave Encounters 2 on release at the local cinema be preceded by a screening of Shhh, a 10-minute film by co-directors Shervin Shoghian and Freddy Chavez Olmos.

Pairing features and short films on release is the latest strategy from Canadian indie distributor Indiecan Entertainment to get local shorts into movie theatres.

“This way, they can get the much needed exposure they deserve,” Indiecan topper Avi Federgreen said in a statement.

Grave Encounters 2 (pictured, left) will be rolled out at the Carlton Cinema in Toronto and select theatres countrywide.

Federgreen said he will continue including short films with his theatrical screenings, to promote their filmmakers to a wider audience.

Shhh, the first short film to be screened as part of the pilot launch, portrays a young boy using his imagination to overcome his fears.

Grave Encounters 2, a found-footage film shot in Vancouver, is the follow up to Grave Encounters, and is written by The Vicious Brothers and directed by John Poliquin.

Top photo courtesy Shhh