Ripcord, a fan-powered platform that connects independent filmmakers to audiences, has officially launched its inaugural Halloween Film Festival.
The shorts festival runs Monday, October 19 through Thursday, October 29, and will consist of 50 horror, sci-fi, thriller, and fantasy short films in competition for a $200,000 prize pool. That’s quite the Halloween treat; in fact, it’s the largest prize pool dedicated exclusively to independent genre short films.
That’s not all, either. The top 10 filmmakers will be flown out to Los Angeles, where their films will screen for a live audience at the historic TCL Chinese Theatre on October 29.
Aspiring filmmakers shouldn’t waste a single second to submit their shorts as the deadline is creeping up on October 1st. So, if you think you’ve got the next Obsession on your hands, don’t hesitate and submit your short now through FilmFreeway.
All eligible films must be:
- a genre short in horror, thriller, science fiction, or fantasy
- 4 and 30 minutes in length
- produced within the past two years
- submitted by eligible citizens of the United States or Canada, excluding Quebec
Here’s the proper prize breakdown:
- First Place: $100,000
- Second Place: $50,000
- Third Place: $25,000
- Fourth Place: $4,000
- Fifth–Tenth Place: $3,500 each
Top 50 selections will be announced October 12. Then, from October 19th to the 22nd, horror hounds and genre junkies alike can register online for free at Ripcord to watch the Top 50 short films, engage directly with filmmakers, and vote for their favorites. Your votes will help whittle down the list to — you guessed it — 10 best filmmakers.
The festival is curated by Program Director Vanessa Meyer, current head of The Genre Film Lab (GEMS) and formerly Programming Director with the Frontières International Co-Production Market and Programmer for Brooklyn Horror Film Festival and Reel Love Film Festival. Genre veterans John Hegeman, CCO of Wayward Entertainment and formerly President of Orion Pictures and Blumhouse Tilt, and Stacy Jorgensen, producer of Color Out of Space and Daniel Isn’t Real, and former COO of SpectreVision, will serve as Festival Directors alongside Cleveland.The festival is designed to introduce and showcase emerging voices in independent genre filmmaking and provide the resources they need to continue their filmmaking journey.
“Too many great independent films never find an audience, not because they aren’t good enough, but because the traditional path to distribution shuts most filmmakers out entirely,” said Charlie Cleveland, Founder of Ripcord. “Ripcord exists to remove that gatekeeper and provide filmmakers with a direct line to the fans who are hungry for their work, and give those fans a real hand in discovering what’s next. This festival is the first step in building that home.”
Beyond the festival, Ripcord operates as an ongoing platform where fans can discover independent genre films, follow and interact with filmmakers, and purchase films directly, with creators earning revenue directly from each purchase. The platform also functions as a community space, free for fans to join, where they can rate and review films, follow and interact with the filmmakers behind the films they love, and discover new voices in the genre space. The Halloween Film Festival is the first of Ripcord’s programming with additional festivals planned on a regular basis.