Ariel Baska

Ariel Baska

They/them/theirs, She/her/hers

Founder & Director, Access:Horror Film Festival; Founder & Director, Ride the Omnibus Inc.; Podcaster, Ride the Omnibus Podcast; Filmmaker; Disability Advocate; Speaker

USA

Ariel Baska is a multiply disabled filmmaker, festival director, and accessibility advocate reshaping how disability is represented in film. They write, direct, and produce horror and documentary projects that center authenticity, accountability, and disabled creatives. Ariel is the creator of Access:Horror, an award-winning film festival celebrating disability in genre storytelling—recognized by Forbes as one of the top five most accessible festivals worldwide. Their work builds infrastructure for disabled filmmakers while championing accessibility in all phases of production. Ariel has spoken at National Geographic, Lincoln Center, and the Berlinale, and co-authored the Accessibility Scorecard Impact Report (2024) with FWD-Doc, presenting it at TIFF. They are organizing the second edition of Access:Horror in partnership with SHUDDER and the George A. Romero Foundation (August 2025). Ariel’s films and advocacy have earned numerous awards, including the Advocacy Award (Superfest Disability Film Festival), Best Virginia Short (GenreBlast), and over $80,000 in grants.