Ashlea Wessel is a writer and director hailing from Toronto, Canada. Wessel's work uses elements of horror, sci-fi and fantasy as a framework to explore themes of social, political and personal upheaval. She tells her stories using an arresting visual style that couples stark realism with a phantasmagoric flair. Ashlea’s first two short films INK and TiCK screened at festivals around the globe. In 2019, Ashlea was a recipient of WIFT's From Our Dark Side award, and participated in the Frontières Shorts to Features pitch session where she pitched the feature version of TiCK.
Francesco Loschiavo is a Canadian born, London based independent filmmaker. He began directing in 2017 with his first short film Into The Grey, and is currently in pre-production on a short form series. When he's not directing, Francesco runs an independent production company Envoi Entertainment who has produced two feature length films including the thriller Tear Us Apart and documentary Refugee.
Luke Hutchie is an award winning Canadian LGBTQ+ television producer, screenwriter, director, and actor. Creating, producing, and starring in EZRA, a award winning short form digital series which starred Priyanka (Canada’s Drag Race) and Veronika Slowikowska (What We Do in the Shadows), Hutchie’s career took off into the occult with horror focused stories. Hutchie has since worked with top production companies and networks such as Blue Ice Pictures, Blue Ant Studios, Marble Media, OUTtv, and recently CBC on their hit series Ghosting, which Hutchie created, produced and starred in alongside Katie Douglas (Ginny & Georgia), Kevin Alves (Yellowjackets), Devyn Nekoda (Scream 6) and more.
David J Fernandes is a multi-award-winning Canadian & Portuguese filmmaker, focused on creating highly original films and TV in a variety of genres spanning comedy, docu-series, horror, thriller and sci-fi. David J. Fernandes is an award-winning Canadian filmmaker focused on creating original sci-fi, suspense, thriller and horror films and TV.His first short, RE-WIRE, premiered at Fantasia. David is the creator of the horror series "Creepy Bits"
Mariah Owen
is an award-winning, multi-hyphenate actor, creator and filmmaker who founded her Webby-honoree, production company GTE Productions and has had films play at some of today’s top festivals; SXSW (2017 & 2023), Sitges, Cannes & can be found on Amazon, Hulu, Crave Apple, CBC Gem & more.
Kadon Douglas Recognized as one of the Globe and Mail’s Top 25 Most Influential People in Canadian Television (2023), Kadon Douglas is a dedicated advocate for artists and cultural producers. Before her role as Executive Director at BIPOC TV & Film, she led marketing and communications at The Creative School at Toronto Metropolitan University and WIFT-Toronto. The Hot Docs alum also contributes significantly to the screen-based media community as an advisor, consultant, and board member.
Luisa Alvarez Restrepo s a Colombian-born film executive, diversity advocate, and artist. She is currently the Director of Inclusion and Community Development at ACTRA Toronto where she leads work to tackle anti-Black racism and systemic discrimination in the industry. Her previous works includes WarnerMedia (now Warner Bros. Discovery) and TIFF, and has always focused on supporting underrepresented voices. At WarnerMedia she launched Access Festivals to provide filmmakers access to film festivals. At TIFF she launched the Amplify Voices Award in 2020 to highlight Canadian and international BIPOC filmmakers. Most recently, at ACTRA Toronto she launched the Permit Access Fund to help lower barriers for performers from historically underrepresented communities. As an artist Luisa’s work has been shown across the world both as an actor and as a writer. She has sat on various juries including for TIFF, the NSI, and the CMPA. She is currently part of NASA’s Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Access practitioner’s database and a founding board member of Listo Calisto.
Alethea Bakogeorge (she/her) is a physically disabled access professional, fundraiser, and actor with cerebral palsy. She is the Director of Programs & Development at the Disability Screen Office, and has worked across the country in fundraising and access at organizations including the National accessArts Centre and The Musical Stage Company. She is in-demand as an accessibility consultant and has taught and lectured across North America on disability representation in the performing arts, access and accommodations, and disability-inclusive organizational change. Alethea maintains an active acting career as a physically disabled voiceover and theatre actor. She lives in Toronto.
Julian Carringtonis a film programmer, a creative analyst, and a racial equity advocate based in Toronto. He is currently Managing Director of the Racial Equity Media Collective (REMC), a non-profit organization committed to equity for Black, Indigenous, and People of Colour (BIPOC) creators in Canada’s film, television, and digital media industries. Julian is also a programmer with Hot Docs as well as the founder of For Viola, the Hot Docs Cinema’s BIPOC-focused community screening series, named in honour of Viola Desmond.
Heidy Morales is the founder of Hye's Musings, an alternative media website covering film, theatre, along with other arts and culture events. Heidy is a Rotten Tomatoes approved critic. Born in Guatemala, Heidy now resides in Toronto (Treaty 13), Ontario where she has been writing and discussing the film scene locally and abroad for over 12 years.
Tanya Stemberger Tanya is co-CEO of Immersion Room, a Virtual Production company based in Toronto. Recently shortlisted in consideration for an Academy Award in Science and Technology, Immersion Room designs in-camera VFX LED volumes, processors, and tools. From their Toronto studio, they offer end-to-end virtual production services with their bleeding edge technologies for filmmakers and content creators of all sizes. Their mission is to make the true potential of VP accessible to more filmmakers.
Christopher Bernard has a rich background in storytelling, having contributed to "Lego Friends: The New Chapter", "Luna, Chip & Inkie: Adventure Rangers Go!, and an animated Christmas special, currently in production. " He’s a Netflix-Banff Diversity of Voice delegate, and a proud graduate of the Bell Media Diverse Screenwriters Program, the BIPOC Kids TV Writing Bootcamp, and the Millennial X Program. Beyond writing, Christopher has ventured into directing and producing VR experiences, broadening his scope in immersive storytelling. His journey in writing was encouraged early on by his fifth-grade teacher, who provided him with the opportunity to craft adventure stories on the classroom's Commodore 64 computer. When not writing or crafting content, Christopher indulges in his coffee obsession or enjoys watching children's shows with his wonderful daughters.
Spencer Idenouye is the Virtual Production Lead and Senior Motion Capture Specialist at Sheridan College’s Screen Industries Research and Training Centre (SIRT). With over a decade of experience in real-time rendering, in-camera visual effects, and motion capture, Spencer has contributed to a range of immersive media productions. He holds a Master’s Degree in 3D Animation and post-graduate diplomas in Directing, Editing, and Computer Animation. Spencer’s expertise spans virtual production, VFX, and digital content creation, driving innovation across film, television, and gaming.
Joseph Ellsworth of Story2Tech is a Producer & Technical Advisor, as well as an Immersive Technology Support Specialist with OCAD University. Joseph is the Producer and Technical Lead for "Fiery Sparks of Light," a Volumetric AR immersive and sensory celebration of poetry that highlights the critical role women have played in creating Canada's international literary reputation. Joseph is also a creative and tech oriented solution developer. They have over two decades as a technology expert diagnosing, repairing, and building computer & network systems, and has worked with all major VR platforms since the early days (including Oculus Quest, HTC Vive, and several other legacy systems). Joseph has completed over 30,000 demo experiences with individuals building an in-depth understanding of reactions and challenges a given experience can undergo. They have worked with OCADU, CFC, HotDocs, and Ryerson. At HackLab they regularly tinker with Arduinos ESP32s, and Touchdesigner.
Jeannine Charles is committed to crafting immersive experiences that transcend the boundaries of reality. Jeannine has pivoted her career into the tech space, exploring the possibilities of extended reality (XR) and how to catalyze the growth of media production in the immersive media landscape. This led her to the co-creation of her first VR prototype and the foundation of her XR production company, where she provides XR/AR/VR marketing solutions for mid-sized businesses. Whether designing captivating virtual environments, interactive simulations, or innovative user interfaces, Jeannine strives to create experiences that captivate the imagination and push the boundaries of possibility.
Marko Cigljarev is a Yugoslavian-born multimedia artist and designer based in Toronto. He studied film production at Humber College and interactive media at George Brown College. With a specialty in cinematography, Marko’s work shines a light on his passion for science, technology, and themes of illusion. By using 16mm film, digital video, 3D design, Arduino, and extended reality, his projects invite others to investigate and wander the different realms of our existence.
Keda Edwards Pierre brings a unique and authentic voice to her consultancy and content development work. Her content studio, Broken Whole Media, creates, develops and produces provocative scripted and unscripted content to transform the industry through A.R.T.S. (Amplifying diversity, Revolutionizing narratives, Transformative stories and Surpassing expectations). Keda Edwards Pierre has recently joined Blood in the Snow in 2023 as our Assistant Development Coordinator for the BITS Development Lab and Deadly Exposure.
Bruno Marno has produced over 60 films, including Gridlocked starring Dominic Purcell (Prison Break), Danny Glover (Lethal Weapon), Stephen Lang (Avatar), Vinnie Jones (Snatch) and Trish Stratus (WWE) available globally on Netflix and in over 150 countries, and, most recently, Fight Another Day starring Jim Belushi (The Principal), Martin Kove (Cobra Kai), Christina Ochoa (Animal Kingdom), and UFC legends Ken Shamrock, Chuck "the Iceman" Liddell and Michael Bisping.His films have premiered at film festivals worldwide and have garnered over 10 Best Feature awards, respectfully. He operates under his banner, High Star Entertainment., a production company that services and develops high-quality content for the domestic and international marketplace.
Todd Brown is an experienced film festival programmer and founder of international and independent film focused website ScreenAnarchy.com (originally TwitchFilm.com), Todd Brown joined XYZ Films in 2009 as Head of International Acquisitions. In his time at XYZ, Brown has shown a strong focus on emerging talent and territories and has served as a producer or executive producer on a wide range of Cannes, Toronto and Sundance selected titles such as The Raid, Spring, Bushwick, XX and many more.
CF Benner is Black Fawn Distribution's Sales and Operations Manager where he handles the promotional planning and structure of each of the company's film releases. Benner has a hands-on approach to marketing movies and, with over ten years of experience in the industry, he knows how to go the extra mile when pitching your title to distributors, what pitfalls to avoid, and how to best support your film once it's released.
Becca McKay is the Programming Manager of the Fantasia International Film Festival, a film critic for CULT Mtl, and a film historian. She is based in Montreal and works directly with the Quebec and Canadian genre film industry, as well as International markets. Her work supports filmmakers from the early stages of their film's inception and development, acquiring funding, festival and market circuits, to their theatrical release. Her personal work revolves around reviving dilapidated physical media.
Peter Kuplowsky is a film curator, producer, and writer based in Toronto. Since 2005, he has championed genre cinema and underground art at various international film festivals, including Toronto After Dark, Fantastic Fest in Austin, Texas, and the Toronto International Film Festival, where he has led the Festival’s Midnight Madness section since 2017. Ever passionate about filmmakers who work outside mainstream channels, Peter has fostered relationships with offbeat independent filmmakers whose films he frequently supports as both a producer and creative lobbyist. These productions include Chris Nash’s Z is for Zygote from The ABCs of Death: Part 2, Steven Kostanski’s Psycho Goreman, Mickey Reece’s Climate of the Hunter and Country Gold, Charles Roxburgh’s Metal Detector Maniac, Franklin Ritch’s The Artifice Girl, and Avalon Fast’s upcoming Camp. A graduate with a Master’s degree in Cinema Studies (despite largely writing about video games) from the University of Toronto, when Peter is not working for festivals or filmmakers, he is either dancing, obsessively seeking out international action cinema, or habitually planning elaborate cult film screenings throughout the world — the most infamous include Toronto’s theatrical premiere of the “best worst movie” Troll 2, and an IMAX FILM presentation of the Wachowskis’s Speed Racer at the Ontario Cinesphere. At local midnight screenings he can be recognized by his oft-tossed fedora.
Shannon Hanmer is an independent film producer and film programmer. She has been producing short films and music videos for over a decade, including the ABC's OF DEATH 2 Segment Z IS FOR ZYGOTE. Since 2015, she has curated short films for the Toronto After Dark Film Festival. Her first feature as a producer was the sci-fi comedy PSYCHO GOREMAN with director Steven Kostanski, which became an instant cult classic. Recently, Shannon served as producer on Chris Nash’s IN A VIOLENT NATURE, which had its premiere at the Sundance Film Festival 2024 and debuted in the top ten in both North American and UK box offices.
Pierce Derks is a cinematographer based out of Toronto with a lifelong love for bold genre cinema. With a varied background in second-unit creature/special effects photography he's recently made the jump into shooting feature films. His most recent work can be seen in the 2024 fIlms IN A VIOLENT NATURE (nominated for Best Cinematography in the 2024 Fangoria Chainsaw Awards), FRANKIE FREAKO and THE ALL GOLDEN.
Ry Barrett is a Toronto based actor, originally from Guelph, Ontario. Ry began his acting career while making a micro budget horror film in 2002 with his friends, ‘just for fun.’ The film ended up being distributed worldwide through Lions Gate/Alliance Atlantis. This sparked a lifelong relationship with the craft that led to future acting projects in film/television, as well as writing and producing projects. He can be seen in recent festival comedy hit and 6 time CSA Nominated ‘CULT HERO’, & most recently in the highly touted Sundance 2024 hit ‘IN A VIOLENT NATURE,’ playing the lead, ‘Johnny,’ as well as current genre festival hit & CSA Nominated, ‘THE HYPERBOREAN’ and the award winning festival comedy-horror hit ‘BEYOND THE CHAMBER OF TERROR.’
Alex West is the author of Films of the New French Extremity: Visceral Horror and National Identity, The 1990s Teen Horror Cycle: Final Girls and a New Hollywood Formula and Gore-Geous: Personal Essays on Beauty and Horror. She has co-hosted the Faculty of Horror podcast with Andrea Subissati since its inception in 2012.
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