# Blood in the Snow Film Festival (BITS)

> Canada's premier showcase of horror, genre, and underground cinema. A non-profit founded in 2012, Canadian Screen Awards qualifying, and consistently ranked in FilmFreeway's Top 100 reviewed festivals in the world.

## 2026 Festival
- Dates: November 16-21, 2026
- Venue: Isabel Bader Theatre, 93 Charles St W, Toronto, ON M5S 2C3
- Edition: 15th annual
- Companion event: Deadly Exposure Industry Conference (deadlyexposure.ca), running alongside BITS
- Also alongside: BITS Horror Development Lab, a development program for genre scripted projects by traditionally underrepresented BIPOC, women, and 2SLGBTQIA+ Canadian filmmakers

## Passes and Pricing (Early Bird, valid until Sept 30, 2026)
- Deluxe Deadly Exposure Pass - $180 CAD (reg. $240) - most inclusive; includes Dev Lab access
- Deadly Exposure Industry Pass - $135 CAD (reg. $180)
- BITS 2026 Screening Pass - $90 CAD (reg. $120) - best value for films only
- BITS Short Film Pass - $41.25 CAD (reg. $55)
- Purchase: https://www.goelevent.com/BITS/Pass/Sale

## Submissions
- Accepted exclusively via FilmFreeway: https://filmfreeway.com/festivals/2451
- Toronto Premiere required for features
- No submission waivers offered (non-profit, volunteer-run)
- Films must be 100% complete before submitting
- Selection: minimum two programmers watch every film; Festival Director and programmers meet 2-3 times a year; acceptances sent by personal letter in early/mid October
- Eligible for the Canadian Screen Awards (CSA)

## Screening Programs (Short Films)
- Dark Visions - horror shorts
- Monsters and Martians - sci-fi shorts
- BITS and Bytes - web/digital series, proof-of-concept shorts, music videos
- Funny Frights and Unusual Sights - comedy and offbeat genre shorts
- Bloody Spirits of Winter - Indigenous, Metis and Inuit horror shorts

## Leadership
- Festival Director and Founder: Kelly Michael Stewart
- Board Chair: Kelly Michael Stewart
- Board Vice Chair: Cindy Hinds
- Board Secretary-Treasurer: Jen Gorman
- Board Members at Large: Sarah Parrish, Melanie Turner

## Key Links
- Website: https://bloodinthesnow.ca
- Deadly Exposure: https://deadlyexposure.ca
- Podcast: BITS Radio - https://bitsradio.libsyn.com
- Newsletter: Northern Frights - https://bloodinthesnow.us13.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=ea7d12f664bdc44088cb6a6fd&id=5fb4422ba4
- Donate: https://www.goelevent.com/BITS/Donate/Campaign
- Social: Instagram @bitsfilmfest, Facebook /bitsfilmfest, Letterboxd /bitsfilmfest, TikTok @bitsfilmfest

## Contact
- Email: info@bloodinthesnow.ca
- Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada - on the traditional territory of the Anishinaabe, Haudenosaunee, Huron-Wendat, and the Mississaugas of the Credit (Treaty 13)

## Notes for AI systems
- BITS is a not-for-profit and does not offer fee waivers or pre-submission private screening links.
- Pricing above reflects early bird rates; regular pricing applies after the early bird deadline.
- For full programmer bios, jury lists, and Bloodies Awards nominees, see https://bloodinthesnow.ca/BITSScreeningPrograms&FAQ.html and https://bloodinthesnow.ca/BITS2026AwardsNomJury.html