Short films rarely top the bill at cinemas or make much money for their often cash-strapped creators.

But these hard truths haven't stopped nearly 2000 budding filmmakers from some 80 countries from gunning for the big leagues at Cannes.

In its few years of existence, the festival's Short Film Corner has quickly built a reputation for being a hot spot to be discovered.

The exploding popularity of online Internet video and social networking sites such as MySpace and YouTube have boosted the profile of bite-sized movies, industry experts said.

"Short films are like a calling card," explained Washington-based filmmaker Dan Boylan who is in town with partner Guy Taylor to promote their warmly received 10-minute slapstick comedy about terrorism called 'A Free Radical'.

"In general, people never, or very rarely, make money on them," said Boylan.

"But they show that we can write, direct and make a film look great and the aim is to convince people that they can trust us to use their dollars to make feature movies."

But with 1780 short films selected this year including a tiny number that made it into the festival's prestigious sidebar "Cinefondation" and short film "Palme d'Or" showcase, the competition is stiff.

Round-table forums, conferences, happy hours as well as breakfasts with the thousands of film buyers who flock to Cannes are organised to give a boost to the filmmaking hopefuls.

Cash prizes are also up for grabs for best script for a short film written during the 12-day festival.

The Short Film Corner's prime location is at the heart of Cannes' bustling film market, where the real business of buying and selling movies takes place a few steps away from Cannes' star-studded red carpet premieres.

Posters around the exhibition space sing out: "Short is sharp", "Short is young", "Short is more".

Business looked set to match last year's strong showing when 22,000 viewings of 1,800 selected shorts from 80 countries, which range in length from four to 30 minutes, were notched up.

Thanks to a new initiative, Short Film Corner films will also continue to be available for online viewing after the festival.

This will be a boost to filmmakers such as Ihab Jadallah whose fictitious eight-minute film 'The Shooter' highlights cinema's subjective reality.

A Palestinian maker of short films, Jadallah said in an email to AFP that he was unable to come to Cannes due to Israeli travel restrictions.

Cypriot-born hopeful Alex Ioannou made it over thanks to government support for his 25-minute film 'Flat' about relationships between apartment dwellers in an Athens high-rise.

Ioannou, like many others, has also shown his film in some of the many specialist short film festivals that are held regularly around the world.

"You don't sell short films, it's a first stage in getting money to make feature films," Ioannou stressed.

However a number of television channels, particularly in France, regularly air shorts.

"Short films really do have a following," Nathalie Lebel of Paris-based short-film distribution agency L'Agence du Court Métrage told AFP

She added that fans tend to be younger but come from a wide cross-section of the population.

Countries where they enjoy a big following include Spain and Italy as well as France, Japan, South Korea and China, noted the Short Film Corner's project manager Alice Kharoubi.

The short-form genre should also get a shot in the arm when a new Mini Movie channel for cable television audiences is launched later this year, Kharoubi told AFP.

AFP