KELLY MICHAEL
STEWART
Festival Director · Producer · Programmer
Professional Summary
Innovative festival director and producer with over 15 years of leadership in Canada's genre film landscape. Founder of multiple industry-building initiatives including the Blood in the Snow Film Festival, BITS Horror Development Lab, and Deadly Exposure Industry Conference, dedicated to elevating emerging and underrepresented voices in genre filmmaking. Experienced programmer, host, and content creator with a proven track record in festival management, broadcast production, and industry development. Recognized juror and panelist across national festivals and funding bodies.
Festival & Programming
Festival & Programming
Founder and director of one of Canada's leading genre film festivals, showcasing Canadian horror, sci-fi, and genre cinema. The festival attracts more than 3,000 attendees annually over six nights at the Isabel Bader Theatre.
Creator and lead of the festival's companion industry conference, offering panels, workshops, and networking events for emerging and established creators. Panels, roundtables, networking events, and market-facing sessions.
Industry-focused development lab supporting underrepresented filmmakers — BIPOC, women, LGBTQ2IA+, and disabled creators — in advancing feature and series projects through workshops, pitch training, and one-on-one mentorship with established industry professionals.
Hosted the Canadian stop of the international female-driven horror shorts showcase.
Curated and hosted a non-horror screening of five Canadian genre short films.
Curated and hosted a monthly genre film screening series showcasing Canadian and international genre shorts and features.
Filmography
Filmography
Produced and hosted televised festival segments for national broadcast on Super Channel.
Created, produced, and hosted a documentary-style series exploring Canadian film festivals for national broadcast.
Developed and hosted a series highlighting Canadian genre filmmakers and behind-the-scenes insights, airing for two seasons on Bell Fibe TV1 before becoming festival pre-show content.
Curated and executive produced two DVD compilations of Canadian genre short films distributed by Black Fawn Distribution.
Directed, edited, and produced the feature-length companion documentary on the making of Late Night Double Feature.
Led production on a horror anthology feature film; wrote and directed the "Night Clown" segment. Screened at noted festivals and acquired by Hulu and other platforms.
Produced and wrote a dramatic thriller short that won multiple awards and played dozens of festivals across North America.
Juries & Panels