About & Contact
Ride the Omnibus is a media non-profit that exists to uplift and promote the voices of historically underrepresented groups, including (but not limited to) people with disabilities, people of color, the LGBTQIA+ community, immigrants, women, and those who don't conform to traditional gender roles. We seek to diversify representation of authentic stories through media projects on the radio, on film, and through cultural exchange of ideas in live and broadcast events.
Access:Horror Vision Statement
Access:Horror was created as a space to explore and celebrate the history, impact, and future of disability in the horror genre, through conversations, connections, and various artistic forms, including film. We acknowledge the interwoven nature of identity and media representation, and celebrate the many intersectional identities that have been at the heart of horror cinema since the beginning. We believe in horror as an agent of change, and seek to elevate discourse that uplifts marginalized creators and gives them space to create new work that imagines new worlds.
Contact us.
info@accesshorror.com
Brief History of Access:Horror
Ariel Baska, the founder and director, is a podcaster and filmmaker, who has years of experience crafting essential conversations with important genre creators. She spent years trying to start a program of events structured around disability and horror, but could never find a venue that offered maximum accessibility without sacrificing financial accessibility. She spoke at Cine-Excess on the topic of Disability and Horror, eventually also publishing a roundtable on the topic with the University of Binghamton, UK. She livestreamed events with Ghouls Magazine on Disability and Horror, and lectured at Final Girls Berlin’s Brain Binge, both with her podcasting partner Rabia Sitabi. In 2023, Ariel organized a panel at South by Southwest (SXSW) on the topic. In February of 2023, Ariel began making calls to create an event celebrating Disability and Horror, and was joined by a wonderful team, including her co-producers, Yaara Kedem and Kiah Amara of IndieVISIBLE. With their help, and the generous support of the George A. Romero Foundation, the dream became a reality.
What makes Access:Horror different from other film festivals?
Access:Horror is founded on accessibility and advocacy. Most film festivals are focused on the content they screen alone, with maybe a few filmmaker Q&A’s and a panel here or there. Our festival puts the essential conversations front and center and focuses on what the industry as a whole is doing and how it needs to change. While we do celebrate short films and their creators, they are placed in the context of the history of horror representation as a whole, as well as an exploration of the impact media has on institutional and social change.