InTension Offers $1M to Turn Short Into Feature
The Provo-based production company is launching a genre short-film competition with a $1,000,000 feature-film prize.
Updated on Nov. 5, 2026 in Horror
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InTension Industries, an independent production company based in Provo, Utah, has launched The Million-Dollar $hortcut, a competition inviting emerging filmmakers to submit thriller, horror, and suspense shorts. The winner will have a feature film produced and released by InTension for a budget of $1,000,000.
Why it matters
The competition gives emerging genre filmmakers a route from short-form work to a fully financed feature. For Provo, it spotlights a local independent studio shaping indie and genre film.
InTension will fund the winning film at a $1,000,000 budget, the same figure cited as the total prize. The source does not provide prior box office or viewership results for the company's productions.
The players
InTension Industries
An independent production company based in Provo, Utah, focused on indie and genre film, founded by four Hollywood dealmakers.
The details
Emerging filmmakers can submit genre shorts at intensioniflms.com. Film fans will vote for favorite entries during the first two rounds, after which InTension will review top-voted films alongside a hand-picked jury of established filmmakers. Runners-up will receive feedback from InTension's creative development team and join a development session with industry veterans.
Timeline
November 5, 2026: InTension publicly announces The Million-Dollar $hortcut competition.
Season Trajectory
Competitions that convert short films into funded features give independent genre filmmakers an alternative to traditional studio development. InTension's model adds fan voting before a jury review, a structure the source presents as a way to surface emerging talent.
Film fans can vote for favorite entries during the first two rounds of the competition, giving audiences a direct role in choosing finalists. Filmmakers in Provo and beyond can submit entries at intensioniflms.com.
The takeaway
Filmmakers working in thriller, horror, and suspense now have a funded path from short to feature through InTension's competition. Fan votes and a jury review will both shape which entries advance.
Further reading
Explore more Horror coverage from the Provo area.
More information
Submit entries or learn more at the competition submission portal.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Variety.
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