About Us

Access: Horror

Ariel Baska (she/they) is a multi-award-winning, multiply Disabled queer horror and documentary filmmaker who believes in advocacy and accessibility for marginalized communities. They are the founder and festival director of Access:Horror, a film festival and industry summit celebrating the history, future and impact of disability and horror. They wrote and directed the horror film Our First Priority (2022) about medical gaslighting, which won the Disability Advocacy Award from Superfest Disability Film Festival and played film festivals from Berlin to Mumbai. As a writer/director and producer, they work in both narrative and documentary, with numerous projects on the festival circuit, including two features, Mike Mignola: Drawing Monsters (2022) and Latasha Harlins (2023). They are a regular speaker at South by Southwest (SXSW), where they present about topics in accessibility and film.   They are a podcaster, non-profit owner and author who curates creative spaces. Their work can be seen many places, including the National Press Club, the Documentary Producers’ Alliance, and on the Board of Directors for Women in Film and Video. Their creative multiverse is most visible through Ride the Omnibus, their own podcast and non-profit parked at the intersection of pop culture and social justice.   Regardless of what story they’re telling or what work they’re doing, they care passionately about the margins.  

 Sundance Institute 

 Laura Benge (she/her)  is the Accessibility Manager for the Sundance Institute located in Salt Lake City, UT with her two large dogs. Her degree is in Rehabilitation Studies with an emphasis and certification in Orientation & Mobility. Laura has worked in accessibility for over 10 years and prior to working within film exhibition, she specialized in accommodating state services, employment opportunities, and community events for individuals with dual-sensory loss. She has worked within direct services and on a national level supporting the reformation of state systems through technical assistance, consultation and legislative efforts. Laura is a firm believer in equal opportunity and community engagement which has led her to working with mission-aligned art organizations, like the Sundance Institute.

 Sundance Institute 

Burchie Benton is the Senior Manager of Accessibility and Safety at the Sundance Institute and has been in event operations for over 20 years. Her work has focused around logistics and production of large scale film festivals, business meetings, concert series, product launches and athletic events. Her passion around accessibility, safety, and belonging has helped grow the Institute’s inclusive accessibility for employees, artists, and patrons of Sundance. Her work is driven by a strong devotion for a more equitable environment for all. She currently lives tucked away in the mountains in Salt Lake City, Utah with her family of four. 

 Full Spectrum Features 

Cassidy Dimon is a filmmaker and event producer with over 15 years of experience producing film events across the US. She has produced over 200 film screenings, numerous award shows and film festivals, as well as two iterations of the esteemed Getting Real Documentary Film Conference. As a film professional with unilateral hearing loss, she has worked diligently to bridge the gap between accessibility and film events for the past five years, including producing the Film Event Accessibility Scorecard in conjunction with FWD-Doc and the Film Festival Alliance. Currently, she is the Director of Programs, Events & Accessibility for Full Spectrum Features in Chicago, IL where she oversees community based programming, execution of film events and a newly formed accessibility department championing access for both events and film production. 

QWOCMAP 

Kebo Drew (she/her/glitter femme) is the Managing Director responsible for strategic capacity, organizational development & data practice, resource mobilization, and communications. She also responsible for QWOCMAP’s intentional practices to create safety, welcome, and belonging. This includes disability justice as well as accessibility for the International Queer Women of Color Film Festival. She serves as Executive Producer for QWOCMAP Productions, and has Co-Produced films including Madeleine Lim’s feature documentary Jewelle: A Just Vision, which has screened at BFI, Frameline, and is currently touring the world with screenings across the U.S. and Europe. Her mixed-genre short Ain’t I A Woman? has screened at Langston Hughes African American Film Festival and Translations: the Seattle Transgender Film Festival among others. She is a writer and dancer who has toured the U.S., Latin America, and Europe. 

Freelance Film Event Accessibility Advisor

Yaara is a film event accessibility consultant, curator, and producer with passion towards storytelling and social change through film, education, and accessibility. She has served as International Director leading the ReelAbilities Film Festival network of 20+ festivals and events focusing on film and disability, produced multiple annual film festivals and programs as Associate Director of the JCC Manhattan Film Department, and has led international tours and educational programs for neurodivergent children and teens working as Travel Director and Counselor at Summit Camp. Yaara is now consulting to film festivals and event organizers on improving inclusion and accessibility for people with disabilities in content, spaces, and outreach initiatives.  

 New Orleans Film Society 

Monika Leska currently serves as the Managing Director of the New Orleans Film Society and is an Advanced Certified Nonprofit Accounting Professional (CNAP). She was a panelist at the annual FilmEx conference in 2021. For a decade, Monika was the New Orleans Film Festival’s screener and served as a juror at the 2021 Milwaukee Film Festival. She sometimes tries her skills as a voice actress, which you can see in the award-winning short film “Valerio’s Day Out”.   

Monika holds master's degrees in Mediterranean Studies and Organization and Management of Tourism and Recreation. While being a mom, she launched a New Orleans chapter of the “Hike it Baby” and ran it from 2015-2016. She was also featured in a book “Wrona po Stanach” by Marcin Wrona.  

SFFilm

 Since 2021, Masashi Niwano has been the Director of Artist Development at SFFILM. He focuses his time on supporting global filmmakers through a slate of grants, artist support and fellowships. For over a decade, Masashi Niwano was the Festival & Exhibitions Director at the Center for Asian American Media (CAAM), the US’s largest media arts organization that amplifies Asian and Asian American storytelling. Prior to his time with CAAM, he was the Executive Director of the Austin Asian American Film Festival (AAAFF). He is a Bay Area native who holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Film Production from San Francisco State University. Masashi has been a jury member or panelist at dozens of prestigious festivals including Sundance Institute, The Gotham (formerly IFP), International Development Association (IDA), New Orleans Film Festival (NOFF) and FRAMELINE LGBTQ+ Film Festival. He has also participated in various industry conversations with leading media entities including AT&T, XFINITY, WarnerMedia, and HBO. He is an active advisory board member for Firelight Media’s William Greaves Fund. Masashi’s life mission is to support the diverse media-making community, especially filmmakers from historically under-served communities. 

CAFILM / Freelance  

 Kaitlyn Ryan (she|her) has worked in festival operations for the past 9 years with a current focus at the 9th St. Film Office in San Francisco for Frameline, JFI, and CAAM. Her focus is in Festival Operations, with micro focuses in Box Office and Theater Operations, and in the last two years, she has taken a personal initiative in growing accessibility within her contracts and produced an Accessibility in Exhibition Panel at the 2022 and 2023 Mill Valley Film Festival.   

ReelAbilities Film Festival

Isaac Zablocki is the Director of Film Programs at the Marlene Meyerson JCC Manhattan with a rich background in multiple aspects of the film industry. After graduating from Columbia University's film school, he worked at Miramax Films and later produced and directed feature films while also developing educational programs for the Department of Education. He has been instrumental in shaping the film landscape at JCC Manhattan, including the establishment of the Israel Film Center and the annual programming of several film festivals such as the Other Israel Film Festival, which highlights the stories of Arab and underrepresented populations in Israel, and the ReelAbilities Film Festival, the largest festival in the world showcasing films by and about people with disabilities.