BiTS Deadly Exposure

2025 HORROR DEVELOPMENT LAB

Applications are Open!

The BITS Horror Development Lab is a groundbreaking program dedicated to supporting underrepresented Canadian genre filmmakers. The Lab is a development program focused on facilitating business and production opportunities for genre (horror, sci-fi, action, thriller) scripted projects and shorts films by traditionally underrepresented BIPOC, women, and LGBTQ+ Canadian filmmakers and content creators.

The program backs 12 short-form film or web series concepts, aiming to develop them into features or full series. Participants will meet top industry professionals and attend workshops during the Blood in the Snow Film Festival (Nov 17-22, 2025), with access to the Deadly Exposure Industry Conference.

This isn't just mentorship-it's your gateway to the industry. Are you ready to take your project to the next level?

APPLY MORE INFO

2025 HORROR DEVELOPMENT LAB & DEADLY EXPOSURE TEAM

💀 We are thrilled to announce our Deadly Exposure industry conference and Lab coordination team for 2025!

Vanessa Magic, Development Coordinator (Horror Developement Lab)

Vanessa Magic is a Canadian Screen Award-winning director and writer, and founder of Miss Magic Productions. Her genre-blending shorts have screened at festivals worldwide with support from the Canada Council and Ontario Arts Council. She’s an alum of Slamdance, WBD Access, Women in the Director’s Chair, and the 2023 BITS Development Lab.

@vanessaismagic

Emily Dix, Industry Coordinator (Deadly Exposure Industry Conference)

Emily Dix is a creative producer and director with 15 years in Toronto’s theatre, film, and TV worlds. She’s Artistic Executive Director of Bygone Theatre and runs The Bridge arts space. With a love for vintage style and true crime, her work blends bold creativity with unique storytelling. She studied English, cinema, drama, and recently completed a paralegal program.

@emilydixto

Shanice Bowrin, Lab/Industry Assistant

Shanice Bowrin is a Montreal-born actor, writer, and director whose work spans theatre, film, and audio storytelling. Her credits include Cocoa Butter Wishes, The Absurdity of the Black Female Experience, and Wacky Wednesdays. She brings a bold, multidisciplinary voice to genre media.

@shanicebowrin

Kelly Michael Stewart, Festival Director/Founder

Kelly Michael Stewart founded Blood in the Snow in 2012 and leads as Festival Director, promoting diverse Canadian genre film. A writer, producer, and film event host, he advocates for intersectional media representation. Identifying as Queer-polysexual, he amplifies underrepresented voices in the genre space.

@kellymichaelstewart

2025 BITS HORROR DEVELOPMENT LAB LEADS

🩸 We are thrilled to announce the 2025 BITS Horror Development Lab Leads! The Lab Leads support selected filmmakers, offering hands-on feedback to sharpen and strengthen their pitches.

Heather Buckley

Heather Buckley is a New Jersey-born producer, writer, and film preservationist with a deep love for horror. She’s worked on special features for The Thing, Army of Darkness, and Saw, and produced the punk-horror hit The Ranger (SXSW/Shudder). Founder of Black Mansion and winner of the Winter Film Awards’ “Patron of the Cinema,” Heather is also a longtime advocate for women in genre film.

@_heatherbuckley

Anelle Dehghani

Anelle Dehghani is a Toronto-based industry veteran and Head of Sales at The Coven, where she oversees international sales for genre titles including Terrifier 3. A former executive at Raven Banner and a mentor with Reelworld, she brings over a decade of experience in editing, acquisitions, and navigating global horror markets. Dehghani is known for championing bold, boundary-pushing voices in genre film.

@anelled

Rueben Martell

Rueben Martell is a Cree filmmaker from Waterhen Lake First Nation whose debut feature, Don’t Say Its Name, played BITS and Fantasia. Having heard Cree tall tales from his grandmother from a young age, he was enamoured with the oral tradition of storytelling. Rueben is currently developing a tv series "RedWater," a feature film script, "A Life Less Empty," and a feature film titled "Tied." .

@rueben306

2025 BITS HORROR DEVELOPMENT LAB JURY

💀 The Lab Jury reviews submissions and selects 12 standout filmmakers from across Canada to participate in the Lab.

Joanne Belluco

Joanne Belluco is a bilingual, award-winning journalist and filmmaker based in Toronto, originally from France. A Hillman Prize winner and Prix Gémeaux finalist, she began her career at Studiocanal on global hits like Mulholland Drive. Her documentary The Terror Group premiered at Sitges and drew attention across the genre world. Joanne champions bold, diverse storytelling, with a focus on Francophone and genre voices.

@suspiriat.o

Joel H. Brewster

Joel H. Brewster is a Canadian horror and sci-fi screenwriter whose award-winning work has reached audiences on platforms like Amazon Prime, Tubi, and Spotify. Drawing inspiration from 1980s suspense and grounded in cinematic storytelling, his work blends nostalgia with fresh perspectives. Brewster is a rising voice in indie genre filmmaking, pushing boundaries and redefining what the genre can be.

@joelhbrewster

Theresa Cutknife

Theresa Cutknife (she/her) is an Alberta-born, Toronto-based actor, writer, and storyteller of Nêhiyaw and Puerto Rican descent, and a proud member of the Samson Cree Nation in Maskwacîs, Alberta, situated in Treaty 6 Territory.. A graduate of the CBC Actors Conservatory and Soulpepper Academy, her storytelling honours Indigenous traditions while pushing genre boundaries on stage and screen.

@theresac_k

Raine Petrie

Raine Petrie (they/he) is a queer trans illustrator, writer, video editor, and film programmer based in London, Ontario. Their work explores homoeroticism and trans subtext in horror, new wave music, cult/exploitation cinema, and corn syrup blood. In addition to editing trailers and programming films for Hyland Cinema, Raine has contributed to Little White Lies, Gayly Dreadful, and In The Mood Magazine, and has collaborated with the Forest City Film Festival.

@ mondosleazo

Chloe Navaretnam

Chloe Navaretnam is a Toronto actor and visual artist whose films have screened at TIFF Next Wave's Open Screen, Regent Park Film Festival, New York Shorts International Film Festival, Emerging Lens, and Toronto Black Film Festival. A longtime festival coordinator and Submissions Coordinator at TIFF, she brings a sharp curatorial eye to emerging genre voices.

@chlostercoaster

🩸 We're just getting started --stay tuned for more exciting announcements!

2025 Deadly Exposure Industry Conference + Horror Development Lab