Provo filmmakers have a new opportunity to bring a short‑form thriller, horror or suspense story to the big screen, as InTension Industries unveiled a $1 million feature‑film competition called “The Million‑Dollar $hortcut.” According to Variety, the contest invites emerging creators to submit genre shorts, with the winner receiving a full‑scale production budget and distribution support from the local studio.
InTension Industries was founded by four veteran Hollywood dealmakers who relocated to Provo to focus on indie and genre cinema. The team includes Brigham Taylor, a former Disney producer on titles such as “The Jungle Book” and the “Pirates of the Caribbean” franchise; Ian Puente, who held business‑development roles at Samuel Goldwyn Films, Sony Pictures and EPIX; Dave Hunter, a producer and co‑creator of “Nitro Circus”; and Tom Goodall, who produced Disney fare like “Christopher Robin” and “Lady and the Tramp.” Variety notes that the company recently premiered its first film, “Whiskey Throttle,” at the Provo‑based FilmQuest and is developing the sci‑fi thriller “Sentinel,” starring Steve Zahn.
Contest participants can submit their short films now via intensionfilms.com. After the initial submission window, the first two voting rounds will be open to the public, allowing fans to help select the top‑voted entries. Those entries will then be reviewed by a hand‑picked jury of established filmmakers alongside InTension’s creative‑development team. Runners‑up will receive personalized feedback and a development session with the company’s industry veterans.
“The future of distribution is community. Audiences want more than something to watch; they want to connect,” Hunter said in the Variety interview. Taylor added that the competition aims to “light a torch for this community,” offering benefits beyond the single winner and fostering a network of filmmakers and filmgoers. Puente emphasized that the voting component creates a market‑driven conversation about which projects deserve a feature‑length treatment.
What’s next: Filmmakers can begin submitting their genre shorts today at intensionfilms.com. Public voting will commence once the submission period closes, and the final winner will be announced later in the year, with production slated to begin shortly thereafter.
Sources: variety.com
