Celebrating its fifth year of making audiences laugh, the World of Comedy Film Festival will run from March 9-11, 2007, in Toronto, Canada. This year’s program  boasts a collection of 56 films, including features, animation and mockumentaries from seven different countries including the U.S, Canada, Spain, Ireland, Italy and the United Kingdom.  A total of 44 films will be making their world premiere during the event.

The festivities commence with the opening night gala, “A Feast of Comedy Shorts,” on March 9th. This presentation includes the 2007 Academy Award nominated short film The Saviour as well as Shaun the Sheep “Still Life,” the latest animated offering from Aardman Animation, creators of Wallace and Gromit. The latter film tells about a farmer who recently began oil painting as a hobby. He wants desperately to create an outstanding work of art. When he isn’t looking, Shaun and his fellow sheep attempt to paint their own masterpiece.

As part of the festival activities, aspiring filmmakers can register for the Professional Development Series which consists of two seminars. The first, “Back to Basics: What They Didn’t Teach You in Film School,” takes place on March 10th. This workshop covers spending a film’s budget wisely, developing marketing strategies, and handling any legal issues relating to making a film.

“All about the Biz: Selling, Pitching and Financing” is the second course, and it’s scheduled for March 11th. Here, industry professionals will teach novice filmmakers how to get their movies broadcast on television or onto video store shelves. Participants will also learn what programmers look for when buying comedic programming and how to successfully pitch an idea or a finished product to them.

Included among the festival’s film highlights are:

The Extra, co-starring Ryan Stiles (Whose Line Is It Anyway?) and Jonathan Taylor Thomas (Home Improvement). Stiles portrays a tortured actor on a endless journey for perfection, and Thomas plays a student filmmaker.

Alive and Well, a parody of Alive, with Neil Flynn (Scrubs) as a hungry pilot who makes an emergency landing in a field and tries to encourage a badminton team from the flight to resort to cannibalism.

The Pre-Nup, with comedian Larry Miller. This short film is about a pre-school teacher and a Hollywood film producer who have set a wedding date but must still work out a prenuptial agreement.  

On March 10th, the festival will also screen I Will Avenge You, Iago, a feature film starring Keith Nobbs, Larry Pine and Larry Drake. This movie revolves around several actors and their antics -- both on and off stage -- including adultery, burglary, suicide and murder.

Created in 2003, the World of Comedy Film Festival is a non-profit organization designed to celebrate the artistry and power of comedic film and to foster the development of comedy filmmaking in Canada.

In the last five years, the festival has showcased over 220 short films and features including the Canadian Premiere of Harvie Krumpet, winner of the Academy Award for Best Animation Short in 2004.

For tickets or more information about the festival, please visit the World of Comedy Film Festival site by clicking here.