Marushka Almeida

Marushka Jessica Almeida (They/Them) is a Middle East born and raised, Indian writer/producer, ex-accountant, former music-business-exec and many other failed careers their parents are too depressed to list. Currently, they're a story editor on rural-noir thriller REVIVAL for PEACOCK & SYFY. Marushka is also an alumnus of the Canadian Film Centre’s Comedy Story Room Intensive with mentor Anthony Q Farrell and her short horror-comedy film Happily Ever After was selected for the 2020 TIFF Next Wave Young Creators Showcase.

Marilyn Cooke and Eric Lafalaise

As a writer-director, Marilyn (She/Her) crafts rich narratives that brim with humanity, immersing audiences in worlds where the lines between reality and dream blur seamlessly. Since completing her degree in film studies at Université du Québec à Montréal, she wrote and directed three acclaimed short fiction films. She is currently developing her first dramatic feature, which received funding in development, as well as support from the TIFF Filmmaker Lab. She has also directed two series for Radio Canada and an 8-part docuseries for Tele-Quebec.

After studying literature, cinema and management, Eric Lafalaise (He/Him) worked for fifteen years in marketing and international distribution. In 2022, he founded the production company Red Brand Studios to support filmmakers from underrepresented groups while producing his own creative projects. In development, his short-form series Metropolis is a social drama featuring three characters of Haitian descent and their experiences in Quebec over the last decade. The project was presented at the Banff World Media Festival, was highly ranked at the TV5 Fund, and received funding from the Canada Media Fund as well as support from Canadian broadcaster Natyf TV.

Anthony Filangeri and Francis Luta

With a writing style that can be described as unpredictable, sometimes funny, and most times uncomfortable (if not a little twisted), Anthony Filangeri (He/Him) draws his point-of-view from growing up queer in a small town. Anthony has credit for writing the web series FAK YAASS, the #1 viewed show on OutTvGO in association with Amazon Prime. He also has the short film THE DATING GAME, currently circulating festivals across the world.

Francis Luta (He/Him) is a Toronto filmmaker behind the award-winning feature documentary 'Alone Across the Arctic' which premiered at the Whistler Film Festival, and the award-winning music videos ‘Vita Love' and 'The Hammer Band: Music Child.' His early works include the short film 'Seeing' for Oscar-winning lens maker Cooke Optics, Canon Canada produced short thriller 'Vivid,' and the social commentary documentary 'Project Gelb,' which premiered at the Vancouver Queer Film Festival. Francis found his artistic voice while living in Berlin, Germany.

Tina Kardan and Het Desai

Tina Kardan (She/Her), an Iranian-Canadian filmmaker born in 1997, holds a bachelor's degree in interactive arts and technology with a minor in film studies. Her first sci-fi short film won Best Thriller and Best Art Direction at Simon Fraser University. Her second film, "Invidious," has been selected and awarded at over ten festivals worldwide. Her latest short, "Mirthless," is funded by Old Bank Studios and awaits its festival circuit in 2024-2025.

Het Desai (He/Him) is a filmmaker who’s moved around his whole life. His early love for stories, art, and excitement fuelled his interest in finding a career in cinema. He graduated VFS in 2021 and continued to study Acting at Langara College. He is a Writer, Director, Producer and Actor located in Vancouver, BC.

Onyeka Oduh and Goldbloom Micomonaco

Onyeka Oduh (They/Them) is an award-winning Black, Trans-Queer, neurospicy writer/director based in Toronto who enjoys writing campy, spooky, and kitschy stories that put BIPOC, queer, and trans characters at the forefront. They have had films premiere at festivals in Canada and Europe, including Blood In The Snow Film Festival, Toronto Queer Film Festival, and TIFF Next Wave Film Festival. Their film "Video Vengeance" won best Horror Short at the Toronto Shorts Film Festival (2020). In 2020, Onyeka co-founded The Kitsch Generation, a trans-led film and media production company that prioritizes authentic trans, queer, and BIPOC representation in front of and behind the camera.

Goldbloom Micomonaco (They/Them) is a Jewish Queer Trans Director-Writer, Producer, Programmer, and Co-Founder of The Kitsch Generation - based in Toronto. Their work focuses on themes of queerness, intimacy, and faith, usually straddling the dramedy line with a strong sense of nostalgia for all things girly-pop. Their films have been screened at Inside Out, BFI Flare, TIFF Digital, Outfest, Frameline, Reelworld, NFFTY, and more. As a programmer, they have worked with the Canadian Screen Awards, TIFF Short Cuts, and Future of Film Showcase.

Erica Orofino and Olivia Loccisano

Originally from Montreal, Erica (She/Her) earned her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Screenwriting from York University. Her work has been supported by the Toronto, Ontario and Canada Arts Councils, and she is an alumnus of the 2022 Director’s Lab at the Canadian Film Centre. Having already received extensive critical acclaim, Erica’s narrative work is best known for her powerful and provocative storytelling with arresting yet grounding imagery. Recently, her short “Dirty Bad Wrong” premiered at the Fantasia Film Festival (2024), won Silver for Best Canadian Short, and was featured in MovieMaker Magazine.

Olivia Loccisano is a filmmaker, screenwriter/writer from Toronto, Canada. Her work centers around transformations of the body, specifically through dark fantasy, body horror and magical realism. Her narratives explore how women/girls navigate life through their own imagination and rituals. Her stop-motion film POCKET PRINCESS (2024) is currently in the festival circuit and will have its Toronto premiere at Blood in the Snow. Her debut short film FIRST BLOOD (2023, ALTER) received critical acclaim for its exploration of menstruation and vampirism, screening at festivals including Fantasia International Film Festival, Chicago International Film Festival, Final Girls Berlin, and Blood in the Snow.

Lisa Ovies

Lisa Ovies (She/Her) is a Queer Mexican/Canadian writer/director currently living between LA and Vancouver. She has been praised for her ability to seamlessly blend her love of horror and her skills as a comedian. Her directorial debut 'Puppet Killer'(2020), garnered an impressive number of nominations/awards and was quickly labelled as "destined for cult status". She is a strong voice for female representation both in front of and behind the camera. Called a "female Robert Rodriguez," her love of action, blood and fast-paced camera work is mixed with her passion for practical effects to tell truthful, gripping stories.

Stephen Sawchuk and Elysia Rotaru

Stephen Sawchuk (He/Him) is an award-winning writer, director, and producer based in Vancouver, British Columbia. He has a wealth of experience executing large-scale scripted and unscripted projects. Over the past 15 years, Stephen has produced well over 120 hours of film & television for networks and streamers, including Apple TV, MGM, Hulu, The CW, Peacock, HGTV, E, Lifetime and many others. His award-winning short film 'Hell is a Teenage Girl' has been sweeping the festival circuit, spawning the development of a feature-length adaptation.

Elysia Rotaru, a multi-talented Canadian artist, has seamlessly transitioned into the role of a producer in the entertainment industry. With a background in acting and a passion for storytelling, Elysia has demonstrated her commitment to shaping engaging narratives both in front of and behind the camera. Drawing from her extensive experience as an actress, she brings a unique perspective to her producing roles and understands the nuances of character development and storytelling. Elysia has co-produced award-winning short films, which keep her creative juices flowing and inspire her to be better. She is always seeking out the next adventure.

Dallas Soonias and Monique Barrie

Dallas Soonias (He/Him) is Nehiyaw/Anishinaabe. He is registered with The Chippewas of Nawash and has close ties with his father’s band, Red Pheasant. Dallas grew up living off-reserve in Red Deer, Alberta. Dallas is proud to be the first male Indigenous person to represent Canada in volleyball, having done so for 15 years. Dallas holds a BA in Psychology and began working on his MA. In 2023, he wrote, directed, and produced his first short film, Frank Gets The Job Done, commissioned by the ImagineNATIVE Film Festival and Telus Storyhive. He now has a feature film in development with TeleFilm Canada and is directing for the CBC Olympics. He is also an analyst for CBC Sports, covering the 2024 Olympics.

Monique Barrie (She/Her) is a philanthropist and Executive Producer passionate about independent short and documentary films and supporting Indigenous artists in the industry. She is working towards becoming a female leader in production and has also taken an interest in private funding for independent film projects. Although she entered the industry in January 2024, she has already served as Executive Producer for multiple short films, a proof of concept for a series, and has several other projects in development. Monique is a passionate advocate for several charities, including Not in My City, which focuses on fighting human trafficking.

Ian Tan and Joshua Lam

Ian Tan (He/Him) is a filmmaker based in Vancouver, BC. He graduated with a BFA in Film Production from UBC and is currently an editor at Atomic Cartoons, one of Vancouver's leading animation studios. He is also an alumnus of the VIFF Catalyst program. Ian has award-winning shorts that have screened around the world. His experiences being raised in Malaysia have made Ian passionate about telling stories from his unique Chinese-Malaysian perspective. His films focus on themes of deconstructing masculinity. Ian is currently developing his horror short 'Karak' into a feature-length film.

Joshua Lam (He/Him) is an early career Chinese-Canadian Director, Writer and Creative Producer based in Vancouver, BC. Josh aims to develop his skill in sharing authentic & dramatic stories at the intersection of self-identity, queerness, family, relationships, and culture. He contributes to the community as Lead Creative Producer for Vancouver Asian Film Festival's (VAFF) Mighty Asian Moviemaking Marathon (MAMM), which helps support Asian-Canadians in film. He has also completed his 2021-2022 Canadian Media Producers Association (CMPA), producing mentorship with Brightlight Pictures in the development & production of Feature Film & TV.

Kathy Thomas and Patricia Gomez Zlatar

Kathy-Ann Thomas (She/Her) is a seasoned Grenadian-Canadian film professional with decades of industry experience across feature films, television, and documentaries. As one of the few women of colour and an English-language minority in Quebec’s film industry, she is dedicated to creating character-driven content that amplifies diverse voices. Driven by her passion for telling authentic stories, Kathy-Ann founded Cotton Bush Productions. She has produced five award-winning short films. Kathy-Ann wrote one of the segments in MOVING DAY, a multi-genre anthology film in development with Telefilm and ISO funding, which also secured production funding from Telefilm.

Patricia Gomez Zlatar (She/Her) was born in Chile and eventually settled in Montreal. She worked several years as a scientist before deciding to pursue a career in film and forming Head on the Door Productions, a company dedicated to the horror genre. Her feature credits include the festival favourite Graveyard Alive - A Zombie Nurse in Love, Go in the Wilderness and the top-rated Shudder film SLAXX. Patricia is co-creating the vampire television series Sweet Blood, which was selected for the Torino SeriesLab, pitched at the Series Mania Co-Production Forum in Paris, and selected for the Netflix-BANFF Diversity of Voices Initiative.

Jordan Waunch

Jordan Waunch (He/Him) is an award-winning Métis producer, writer, and director based in the Coast Salish territories. A graduate of the British Columbia Institute of Technology's Television & Video Production Program, Jordan has gone on to build a career focused on developing Indigenous-led storytelling in film, TV, animation, and XR media. In 2019 Jordan produced and directed the project "Sisters Of Sorrow" through Telus STORYHIVE’s first-ever Indigenous Storyteller Edition and produced the Queer Indigenous horror film “Terror/Forming” (Dir. Rylan Friday). His most recent project, "Shadow Of The Rougarou," is playing on the Aboriginal Peoples Television Network's streaming service lumi. Jordan is an alumni of the Pacific Screenwriting Program’s inaugural Indigenous Screenwriters Lab (2024), the Netflix-Banff Diversity of Voices Program (2024), Whistler Film Festival’s Indigenous Filmmaker Fellowship (2020), and the Skwachàys Lodge Artist in Residence Program (2014-2017).