ELYANA MORADI
Elyana Moradi is an independent Persian-Canadian filmmaker. Her films examine the duality of identity in the aftermath of immigration, reflecting the intersection of Persian and Canadian cultures as they intertwine with memory and the lived experience of womanhood. Her latest short film “Project Human” will be screening as part of VHS 2026’s Student Shorts Program.
ALEX MONTILLA
I've been making movies since high school. When my friends and I took over the morning announcements, we saw an opportunity to produce short films for a captive audience (and by that, I mean an audience that literally had to watch. The entire school was held hostage by our silliness).
OMKAR PRASANNA MOHARE
Omkar Mohare is a Writer-Director from Mumbai, India whose work delves into psychological horror and surreal drama, often exploring themes of identity, guilt, and transformation. His latest short film “Tailor-Made” will be screening as part of VHS 2026’s Student Shorts Program.
BRYN McCASHIN
Cinematographer Bryn McCashin calls Vancouver, Canada home-base, where he enjoys walks with his wife and his dog Alfredo. Bryn's upcoming feature work includes Ithaqua, Directed by Casey Walker for Hammer Films, and Homebodies, premiering at Fantasia 2026, also directed by Walker.
QUINN LORD
Born in Victoria, British Columbia, Quinn Lord is a Canadian actor and producer who launched his professional acting career in 2004 at just five years old. He is best known for his iconic, breakout feature film debut as Sam—the mysterious, burlap-sack-wearing enforcer of Halloween traditions—in the 2007 cult horror anthology Trick ‘r Treat, which was created and directed by Michael Dougherty. Beyond his legendary status in the horror community, Lord has built a prolific body of work across television and film, including a prominent recurring role in Amazon’s critically acclaimed series The Man in the High Castle and appearances in hit shows like Once Upon a Time, Supernatural, and The 100. Shifting into the next phase of his creative evolution, he is currently expanding his horizons by writing, producing, and starring in several of his own upcoming film projects.
ZACH LIPOVSKY
Emmy-nominated director Zach Lipovsky started his career on Spielberg's filmmaking competing "On the lot" where he placed 5th out of 12,000 directors worldwide. Zach has gone on to direct and produce projects many film and TV projects, most recently directing the reboot of FINAL DESTINATION for Warner Brothers, and is currently releasing the sequel to his film FREAKS.
ERRIN LALLY
Errin Lally and Annalese Tilling are Vancouver based Casting Directors. The duo formed Lally Tilling Casting in 2018 after 15 years+ working exclusively with Mayrs Brandstatter Casting. LTC has worked with such talents as Alison Janney in “Lou” for Bad Robot and JJ Abrams to most recently the Osgood Perkins feature "The Monkey" starring Theo James along with series for CBC, CTV, Peacock, CW, Netflix, and Hallmark.
RACHEL LANGER
Rachel Langer is an award-winning screenwriter for dramatic television. She served as a writer and executive producer on the hit CTV/NBC series TRANSPLANT, and currently has a series adaptation in development with CRAVE.
KAREN LAM
Karen has worked full-time in the film and television industry since 1996. Starting as a producer and lawyer, Karen has written and directed ten short films, three music videos, directed a true-crime documentary series for Investigation Discovery (US), a TELUS web series, and five feature films, including “Stained” (2010), “Evangeline” (2013) and “The Curse of Willow Song” (2020).
KAJETAN KWIATKOWSKI
Ki is an award-winning Polish/Canadian film-maker whose work spans the spectrum of psychological horror and absurd comedy. Ki most recently wrapped a proof of concept for his debut feature, Krew (2026) , a project that merges his diverse background in genre and comedy. For Ki, Krew is a career-defining endeavor that marks his transition into feature film-making. “Krew” will hold its Vancouver Premiere at VHS 2026.
KARIN KONOVAL
Karin Konoval has appeared in guest starring roles in numerous TV series and supporting lead roles in many feature films, including the role of "Maurice" (the orangutan) in Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011), Dawn of the Planet of the Apes (2014), and War for the Planet of the Apes (2017). She received a Philip Borsos award for her lead role as "Mary Leonard" in the feature Cable Beach (2004) and has received numerous awards for her work in theatre, performing lead roles in contemporary classics and a wide range of musicals. She has also been a fan favourite for her appearances on the X-Files.
KEN KABATOFF
Ken Kabatoff is an award-nominated writer, director, and producer with more than eighteen years of experience in film and television. His work has reached millions of viewers worldwide, including three seasons on the acclaimed Netflix science-fiction series Travelers, where he advanced to co-producer. In 2020, he received a Writers Guild of Canada Award nomination for Best Drama Series for his final episode of the show. As a director, Ken has created multiple short films that screened internationally. He received the Directors Guild of Canada BC Emerging Greenlight Award to direct The Doukhobor, a deeply personal horror film that became a key creative calling card. He recently completed his feature directorial debut, Remnant, an independently financed horror film that is entering the festival and international sales marketplace.
MORGAN HOLMSTROM
Morgan Holmstrom was born and raised in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. She is of multi-ethnic Métis and Filipina descent. Morgan attended the University of Winnipeg, pursuing a Bachelor of Science before transitioning into acting. She continued her training at institutions such as The Actors Studio, AMAW, and Andrew McIlroy & Associates.
PATRICK HOGAN
Bio Born and raised on the island of Guam, Patrick attended Northwestern University and then earned his MFA from USC film school. His thesis film “The Business Card” was an award-winning short that had the distinction of being the first student film ever sold to an airline for in-flight entertainment. His latest short film, “Blindsided” is holding its Canadian Premiere at VHS 2026
MEGHAN HEMINGWAY
Meghan Hemingway is the Artistic Director of the Vancouver Horror Show Film Festival, where she oversees festival curation, programming, and the screenplay competition. An award-winning screenwriter and actor, her work spans horror, thriller, comedy, and drama. Her current projects include the feature The Final Girl, developed with Mackenzie Donaldson, and Addendum, which received a 2026 Creative BC screenwriting grant. She is currently developing two original television series: the family thriller Archipelago with writing partner Stephen Sheffer and the comedy Ice Queens with writing partner Ambika Vas. As an actor, she has appeared in Disney+’s The Mysterious Benedict Society, Apple TV+’s Schmigadoon!, and Encryption, premiering at VHS 2026. She trained at New York’s Circle in the Square Theatre School and serves on the board of Aphotic Theatre Company.
DENNIS HEATON
Award-winning writer, director and showrunner Dennis Heaton is renowned for his deft balance of comedy and dark subject matter, as showcased in his cult classic zombie movie FIDO and his short films, CANNIBALISM AND YOUR TEEN and HEAD SHOT.
SEAN HARRIS OLIVER
Sean Harris Oliver is a Canadian film producer who most recently wrote and produced the award-winning independent horror feature Hunting Matthew Nichols, which received seven Leo Award nominations, and was the winner of FilmQuest’s 2024 Best Found Footage Feature Film. Sean helped spearhead and develop an innovative self-distribution theatrical model, releasing Hunting Matthew Nichols on more than 900 screens across North America. The film went on to earn more than $700,000 at the domestic box office, and was subsequently acquired by IFC/Shudder and Bell Media.
KURTIS DAVID HARDER
Kurtis David Harder is an award-winning filmmaker, writer, and producer whose acclaimed thriller Influencers hit theatres in 2025. The follow-up to his viral social-media horror film Influencer, the film cements Harder as one of the most compelling new voices in genre cinema.
GIGI SAUL GUERRERO
Gigi Saul Guerrero is a Mexican genre director/filmmaker and actress praised as one of the top, emerging directors in the horror genre by Empire, Dread Central, Fangoria, IGN and Bloody Disgusting. Guerrero is co-founder of Luchagore Productions In Vancouver Canada. Recently "Guerrero delivers one hell of a performance", as said by Screen Anarchy, for her debut as leading actress in a feature film at this year's IFFR prestigious film festival in ROTTERDAM with the Mexican thriller TALKING TO A STRANGER.
BRENNA GOODWIN-McCABE
Brenna Goodwin-McCabe is a versatile writer and director with a keen interest in Gothic horror. She has presented writing at McGill, Dalhousie, and the University of British Columbia, where she completed her grant awarded Masters of English degree with a thesis on Mary Shelley and Guillermo del Toro.
Her latest short film, “Start the Show” will have its North American Premiere at VHS 2026.