The Blood in the Snow Canadian Film Festival (BITS), also known as Blood in the Snow, is an annual film festival held in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It was founded in 2012.
The festival has taken place every year in November since 2012. Each year, they present awards dubbed "Bloodies." Described as an event that "fills the seasonal gap between Halloween and Christmas," the festival's programming focuses on Canadian films, horror films, and underground films.
The most recent festival was held from November 17 through November 22, 2025, with Influencers winning the award for Best Film.
History
2012—2021
The festival began in 2012 as spinoff of the monthly film night hosted and programmed by Kelly Micheal Stewart called "Fright Nights at the Projection Booth," which were held at the former Projection Booth Cinema (later re-opened in 2019 as the Grand Gerrard) in Toronto. Running from November 30 to December 2, 2012, the program that year included 6 feature films and 13 shorts, such as Sick: Survive the Night, In The House of Flies, Beyond The Black Rainbow, Devil's Night, Famine, and Blood for Irina.
The 2013 festival, running from November 29 to December 1, 2013, marked the first year the festival utilized a traditional festival submission layout with the introduction of a full programming team. The lineup featured 7 feature films and 16 shorts films, including Evangeline, Thanatomorphose, Ghostkeepers, Blood Riders: The Devil Rides with Us, Clean Break, Criminal, and Discopath. The 2014 festival ran from November 28 to 30, 2014, and saw the lineup expanded to 8 feature films and 15 short films, including Queen of Blood (starring Skinny Puppy's Nivek Ogre), Ejecta, and Black Mountain Side.
The 2015 edition of the festival saw the expansion of the Industry Panels but also saw the shrinking down of the vendor village; the lineup included 8 feature films and 15 shorts, running from November 27 to 29, 2015, with screenings of Night Cries, Secret Santa, White Raven, Farhope Tower, The Dark Stranger, Save Yourself, Bite, and Larry Kent's controversial She Who Must Burn, which won best picture at the festival that year. The 2016 festival moved to the Cineplex cinema at Yonge—Dundas Square and was held from November 24 to November 27, with an expanded 9 features and 24 shorts. The festival also launched its first DVD compilation of short films entitled Blood in the Snow presents: Bloody BITS Shorts Compilation. Films hosted included 3 Dead Trick or Treaters, Streamer, Inspiration, Capture Kill Release, The Sublet, 24 x 36: A Movie about Movie Posters, Holy Hell, Kidnap Capital, and winner of the best picture at that year's festival, The Unseen.
The 2017 edition of the festival saw another venue change as BITS moved to it new home at the Royal Cinema. The move meant the elimination of the traditional midnight show that had been part of the programming since 2012, but saw the festival stay at 4 days in length, running November 23 until November 26, 2017. The move also added another 100 seats in capacity for the festival and attendance numbers continued to grow. Films hosted included Red Spring, Blood Child, Fake Blood, The Child Remains, Buckout Road, Art of Obsession, Kill Order (aka Meza), Darken, and the holiday slasher Once Upon a Time at Christmas. In 2018, the festival was held from November 22 to November 27. That year, it was described as "Canada's largest celebration of Canuck genre film." In 2019, the festival was held from November 21 to November 26, with Gruesome Magazine describing the event as "a unique and imaginative showcase of contemporary Canadian horror, genre, and underground cinema..."
During the COVID-19 pandemic in Canada, the festival partnered with Super Channel Fuse to hold virtual screenings for its 2020 edition. In 2021, the festival launched a development lab for under-represented filmmakers, and it also ran virtual screenings in tandem with limited in-person screenings at the Royal Cinema as the COVID-19 pandemic continued.
2022—present In 2022, the festival moved to the 500-seat Isabel Bader Theatre at the University of Toronto and ran from November 22 until November 26. Since 2022, the festival has been held at the Isabel Bader Theatre.
The 2023 festival ran from November 20 until November 25 and the lineup included the Sundance Film Festival selection My Animal starring Bobbi Salvör Menuez and Amandla Stenberg and other films such as The Last Video Store and The Hyperborean.
The 2024 festival ran from November 18 until November 23 and the lineup included horror films such as Pins and Needles starring Chelsea Clark and Scared Shitless starring Steven Ogg. In 2025, the festival was held from November 17 until November 22, 2025.
The 2025 festival opened with Houston Bone's Son of Sara: Volume 1 starring Chloe Van Landschoot, and it closed with the sequel to Kurtis David Harder's Influencer starring Cassandra Naud ahead of the latter's December 12, 2025 release on Shudder. Influencers won the festival's top award for Best Film.
Bloodies Each year since 2012, the festival has organized a small jury of film and show business professionals to determine winners of awards called "Bloodies" or "Bloodie Awards."
Award nominations and winners Winners are listed first and highlighted in boldface. Between 2012 and 2019, no nominees were announced publicly. Since 2020, nominations have been announced in most categories.
2012 In the House of Flies Gabriel Carrer, In the House of Flies Panos Cosmatos, Beyond the Black Rainbow
(tied) Ryan Kotack, In the House of Flies Lindsay Smith, In the House of Flies Norm Li, Beyond the Black Rainbow Angus McLellan, In the House of Flies Nicholas T. Shepard, Beyond the Black Rainbow Chris Alexander, Blood for Irina The Post-Lifers
2013
Discopath Karen Lam, Evangeline Jeremie Earp-Lavergne, Discopath Kayden Rose, Thanatomorphose Michael Balfry, Evangeline Renaud Gauthier, Discopath David Scherer and Remy Couture, Thanatomorphose Elliot Dawson-Clark, Criminal Tasha and Friends Tasha and Friends
2014 Bloody Knuckles Chad Archibald and Matt Weile, Ejecta Julian Richings, Ejecta Alyssa King, Berkshire County Cameron Tremblay, Black Mountain Side Matt O'Mahoney, Bloody Knuckles Bloody Knuckles Chris Alexander, Queen of Blood Kyle Hytonen, Massacre at Femur Creek Greater Than
2015 She Who Must Burn April Mullen, Farhope Tower John White, Farhope Tower Elma Begovic, Bite D. Gregor Hagey, The Dark Stranger Andrew Cymek, Night Cries Jason Derushie, Bite Andre Becker, Secret Santa Brandon Marsh, Bite Chiral Greg Kovacs, Stephanie Christiaens, Nathan Hawkins, Darren Hutchings, Brad McMillan
2016 The Unseen Kevin Burke, 24x36: A Movie Poster about Movie Posters Aden Young, The Unseen Tianna Nori, The Sublet Greg Biskup, The Sublet Felipe Rodriguez, Kidnap Capital Carolyn Williams, Madre De Dios Stephen Schooley, 3 Dead Trick or Treaters Kevin Burke, 24x36: A Movie Poster about Movie Posters Kidnap Capital Paul Ainsworth, Joshua Budich, Sara Deck, Gary Pullin, Matt Tobin, 24x36: A Movie Poster about Movie Posters Cauchemar Capitonne Greg Kovacs, Stephanie Christiaens, Nathan Hawkins, Darren Hutchings, Brad McMillan Jennifer Fraser, Capture Kill Release
2017
The Curse of Buckout Road Audrey Cummings, Darken Jeff Sinasac, Red Spring Suzanne Clément, The Child Remains James Griffith, Darken Matthew Currie Holmes and Shahin Chandrasoma, The Curse of Buckout Road Kill Order Jim McGrath, Darken Rob Grant, Fake Blood Art of Obsession Darken Bestia Ry Barrett Alyx Melone, Blood Child and Talking Heads
2018
Montreal Dead End Danishka Esterhazyv, Level 16 Josh Collins, Hammer of the Gods Katie Douglas, Level 16 Michael Jari Davidson, SuperGrid Danishka Esterhazyv, Level 16 Alive Spencer Creaghan, Altered Skin Matt Welie and Jesse Thomas Cook, The Hoard Montreal Dead End Small Dog Design, Altered Skin Lay Them Straight Necessary Evil Frostbite Jesse Thomas Cook Danishka Esterhazyv, Level 16
2019 Z Brandon Christensen, Z Heston Horwin, Dead Dicks Oluniké Adeliyi, She Never Died Julian Garofalo, The Nights Before Christmas Chris Bavota and Lee Paula Springer, Dead Dicks Ryan Nicholson, Puppet Killer Joee Cons and Mike Bistani with Hatiras, Raveage Jeremy Lutter, Giltrude's Dwelling Happy Face Deep Six Witch Finger Horror Podcast One in Two People Romi Audrey Cummings, She Never Died Chris Bavota and Lee Paula Springer, Dead Dicks
2020
Come True Anything for Jackson Parallel Minds Francesco Giannini, Hall Amelia Moses, Bloodthirsty Anthony Scott Burns, Come True Julian Richings, Anything for Jackson Greg Bryk, Bloodthirsty Nick Smyth, For the Sake of Vicious Julia Sarah Stone, Come True Lora Burke, For the Sake of Vicious Sheila McCarthy, Anything for Jackson Anthony Scott Burns, Come True Alfonso Chin, Freya Jeff Maher, Parallel Minds Anthony Scott Burns, Come True Derrick Adams and Adam Colony, Hall Hugo Chetelat, Rembobine (Rewind) Boriana Karan, Come True Remi Couture, Hall Dera Veinot and The Butcher Shop, For the Sake of Vicious Anthony Scott Burns, Come True Gabriel Carrer and Foxgrndr, For the Sake of Vicious Cédric Martel, Rembobine (Rewind) Steve Villeneuve, Hail to the Deadites Anthony Scott Burns, Come True Lucas Villegas, Hall For the Sake of Vicious (awarded to the stunt team) Anything for Jackson Hall Hail to the Deadites Clout Fade Toto Freya Rembobine (Rewind) Eslura: The First Monolith All The Wrong things in the Right Places Zahara: The Return
2021
Vicious Fun Peppergrass The Righteous Cody Calahan, Vicious Fun Mark O'Brien, The Righteous Seth A. Smith, Tin Can Sera-Lys McArthur, Don't Say Its Name Henry Czerny, The Righteous Evan Marsh, Vicious Fun Benjamin Charles Watson, The Family Ari Millen, Vicious Fun Madison Walsh, Don't Say Its Name Scott McClellan, The Righteous Billy Buttery, Flee The Light Kevin A. Fraser, Tin Can Rueben Martell and Gerald Wexler, Don't Say Its Name Anton Jøsef and Lisi Purr, Break Any Spell Seth A. Smith and Darcy Spidle, Tin Can The Chamber of Terror Tin Can Vicious Fun Jason William Lee, Funhouse Mike Gallant, Vicious Fun Seth A. Smith, Tin Can Peppergrass He Comes at Night Kweskosiw (she whistles) They're Here That Halloween We All Dream Little Red Babysitting Breakfast Sera-Lys McArthur, Kweskosiw (she whistles) Onna Chan, Red String of Fate Mya McNair, Ella Grace McDonald, Duppy Aidan Devine, Kweskosiw (she whistles) Bronwen Mantel, They're Here Narcoleap: Season Two Creepy Bits Revenge of the Snowflakes
2022
Relax, I'm from the Future Dark Nature The Inhuman Berkley Brady, Dark Nature Jason Brennan, The Inhuman Jesse Thomas Cook, Cult Hero Cassandra Naud, Influencer Rhys Darby, Relax, I'm From the Future Samuel Tremblay, The Inhuman Gabrielle Graham, Relax, I'm From the Future Liv Collins Cook, Cult Hero Madison Walsh, Dark Nature David Schuurman, Influencer Jaryl Lim, Dark Nature Liam Meredith, Darkside Kurtis David Harder and Tesh Guttikonda, Influencer Jason Brennan, The Inhuman Lukas Higgenson, Relax, I'm From The Future Daniel Baker and Chris Cooper, The Breach Shantel Capri and Kyra Macpherson, Dark Nature Benjamin McGregor, Darkside Amélie Labrèche, The Inhuman Evan Derushie, Daniel Dietzel, Maia Iotzova, Angakusajaujuq: The Shaman's Apprentice Alex Gans, Follow Her Adrian Ellis, Cult Hero Alain Auger, The Inhuman Avery Kentis, Influencer Cult Hero The Breach Shifted Angakusajaujuq: The Shaman's Apprentice Darkside Death & the Mysteries of Raising Powerful Children L'Abattu des Vents (The Wind Down) One of Those Good Lives Blakely David, Darkside Sean Depner, One of Those Good Lives Miley Haik, Last Christmas Daniel Coo, Vicinal Madison Cheeatow, Last Christmas Donald Sales, One of Those Good Lives Shadow of the Rougarou CCF's Solstice Stories The Forest King
2023
The Last Video Store My Animal