Ripcord Launches With Halloween Film Festival Offering $200,000 Prize Pool for Genre Filmmakers
A new platform aimed at independent genre filmmakers is launching with a major incentive for emerging talent.
Ripcord officially launches Sept. 9 as a fan-powered platform designed to connect independent filmmakers directly with audiences, beginning with its inaugural Halloween Film Festival. The event will showcase 50 horror, sci-fi, thriller and fantasy short films competing for a $200,000 prize pool.
The festival runs Oct. 19-29 and will begin with a free online phase from Oct. 19-22 at Ripcord’s platform, where viewers can watch the Top 50 selected shorts, interact with participating filmmakers and vote for their favorites.
Those votes will determine 10 finalists, who will then be flown to Los Angeles for a live screening at the TCL Chinese Theatre on Oct. 29.
The winning filmmaker will receive $100,000 toward their next feature film, while the remaining nine finalists will divide an additional $100,000 in cash prizes.
Submissions are currently open through FilmFreeway for short films between four and 30 minutes in length. The deadline to submit is Oct. 1, with the Top 50 selections scheduled to be announced Oct. 12.
Ripcord is positioning itself as an alternative to traditional distribution pathways for independent filmmakers, particularly those working in genre spaces that often struggle to secure meaningful theatrical or digital exposure.
The platform allows filmmakers to bring their work directly to viewers, while fans can discover projects, follow creators, interact with filmmakers and purchase films directly. Ripcord says creators will earn revenue from each purchase.
“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,” Ripcord founder Charlie Cleveland said in a statement.
“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.”
The Halloween Film Festival is being curated by program director Vanessa Meyer, who currently leads The Genre Film Lab and previously worked as programming director with the Frontières International Co-Production Market. She has also programmed for the Brooklyn Horror Film Festival and Reel Love Film Festival.
John Hegeman and Stacy Jorgensen will serve as festival directors alongside Cleveland. Hegeman is chief creative officer of Wayward Entertainment and previously served as president of Orion Pictures and Blumhouse Tilt. Jorgensen’s producing credits include Color Out of Space and Daniel Isn’t Real, and she previously served as COO of SpectreVision.
The festival is designed not only to showcase new filmmakers but also to give them resources to continue developing their work beyond the short-film circuit.
That structure fits with Ripcord’s broader mission. Outside of the festival, the platform will operate as an ongoing destination for independent genre cinema, with community features that allow fans to rate and review films, follow filmmakers and discover new projects.
The Halloween Film Festival is intended to be the first of several recurring events planned for the platform.
For genre filmmakers, the combination of direct audience access, community engagement and a substantial cash prize makes Ripcord’s first festival an unusually ambitious launch.
Submissions for the Ripcord Halloween Film Festival close Oct. 1. The Top 50 films will be announced Oct. 12, with free online screenings running Oct. 19-22 and the live finale taking place Oct. 29 at the TCL Chinese Theatre in Los Angeles.
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