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
Blood in the Snow Film Festival
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.
BITS Deadly Exposure Industry Conference
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.
BITS Horror Development Lab
Founder of an industry-focused development lab that supports 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.
Fright Nights at the Projection Booth
Curated and hosted a monthly genre film screening series showcasing Canadian and international genre shorts and features.
Summer Showcase — Shorts Program
Curator and on-stage host for a curated selection of Canadian non-genre short films.
Viscera Film Festival — Canadian Showcase
Hosted the Canadian stop of the international female-driven horror shorts showcase.
Filmography
Blood in the Snow on Super Channel
Produced and hosted televised festival segments for national broadcast on Super Channel.
Festival Pass
Created, produced, and hosted a documentary-style series exploring Canadian film festivals for national broadcast.
BITS TV
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.
Bloody BITS — DVD Shorts Collection
Executive produced and curated two DVD compilations of Canadian genre short films.
Cannibals, Self-Mutilation and Bloody Revenge
Directed and produced the feature-length companion documentary on the making of Late Night Double Feature.
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.
One More for the Road
Produced and wrote a dramatic thriller short that won multiple awards and played dozens of festivals across North America.
Juries & Panels