The Blood in the Snow Film Festival will take place this year from November 20-25, 2023 during the evenings. The Deadly Exposure Industry conference will take place this year during the day time of November 20-25, 2023. The Horror Development Lab will take place during the day from November 20-22, 2023.
The Isabel Bader Theatre holds 494 seats + 2 wheelchair spots (barrier-free on either side of the 14th row from the screen in orchestra). Seats are removable in this section to allow more spaces for wheelchairs or to provide a seat for a guest that they are coming with. There is a no step row (O) for those with canes or have challenges with steps.
There is accessible public transport within 200m with an accessible route to the venue.
The Isabel Bader Theatre has an accessible washroom on the main floor. There is an outlet to charge a mobility scooter and/or battery-powered wheelchair near the accessibility washroom.
Service animals are permitted in all public spaces. We have a water bowl for service animals at the main entrance/exit.
It is BITS policy that any support person(s) will receive free entry into any screening event with the person they are working with.
The festival events take place in downtown Toronto during fall/winter weather. The theatre foyer is large enough to allow patrons to wait inside while in queue for a screening.
Green P municipal parking are located on the following streets close the the theatre:
St. Thomas Street
Bloor Street West between St. Thomas and Queen's Park Crescent
Open caption and descriptive audio screenings will be listed on the ticket site, our website and our program booklet.
(Dirs. Brett Butler, Jason Butler) Open Caption with ASL interpretation
(Dir. Robert Cuffley) Open Caption with ASL interpretation
There is a quiet sitting space on the 2nd floor of the Isabel Bader Theatre (access available via elevator). Water bottles will be available.
The Tranzac Club venue is used for all the festival after-parties and daytime activities, including the Development Lab and the Deadly Exposure Industry Conference.
The Tranzac Club rooms designated for BITS events are on one floor with two accessible washrooms.
Both washrooms are gender-neutral (one with urinals and stalls and one with just stalls).
It is BITS policy that any support person(s) can attend the Deadly Exposure Conference or Development Lab for free.
ACCESSIBILITY STRATEGIES FOR FILM PRODUCTION
Accessibility is no longer a “nice to have” — it is the law, and it is a human right. In this panel, we will discuss how you can make your film projects more accessible in your storytelling, casting and crew.
Live CART (Communication Access Real-time Translation) captioning will be provided for this panel.
Guests include Michael McNeely & Ophira Calof
Moderated by Keda Edwards Pierre
Ophira Calof (She/They) is an award-winning Disabled artist with credits including Generally Hospital and Literally Titanium. Ophira also works as a curator, educator, and consultant with projects including COVID-19 through a Disability Lens: Storytelling and Filmmaking Project, and Making Space: Stories of Disabled Youth in the GTA.
Michael McNeely is the first Deaf-Blind student to graduate from Osgoode Hall Law School. He understands that having a child with a disability can be both a gift and a source of tension for a family unit, especially with exorbitant costs for accessibility equipment. Michael is also a member of the LGBTQ+ community, and is aware of the many challenges facing queer families. Michael has taught advocacy skills at the Canadian Helen Keller Centre, delivered lectures on accommodations and accessibility to numerous post-secondary institutions, is the director of a documentary "Advocacy Club", is an accredited and published film critic, and is an accessibility advocate who works with those in the film, theatre and transportation industries to help improve their accessibility practices. Michael has served on the board of directors for Sensity, is a former member of Toronto's Accessibility Advisory Committee. He is also a former high school teacher. He currently works for the Department of Justice as a lawyer and hopes to make more films soon. In his spare time, he enjoys spending time with friends and loved ones, playing video games, and lazing about on a raft made of pool noodles when he should be swimming laps.
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.
If you are a filmmaker applying to festival, volunteer, press, or patron please let us know if there is anything we can assist you with.
Please contact Festival Director, Kelly Michael Stewart (info@bloodinthesnow.ca tel: 416-995-5275) with any questions or concerns.
