Local short film advances to final round of competition, competing for $100k grand prize at film festival

EAU CLAIRE, Wis. (WEAU) - Locally made short film “Blossom Needs a Ride Home” is one of 12 finalists competing for more than $200,000 in cash prizes at Ripcord’s Halloween Film Festival.

“Blossom Needs a Ride Home” is a horror short film, directed by Tim Schwagel, that premiered in 2025 at Screamfest in Los Angeles. It was filmed in Wood County, with a crew that primarily calls the Chippewa Valley home.

“Blossom” advanced from the first round, which included 50 genre short films. Voting was open to the public. Now, the Top 12 will screen at the TCL Chinese Theatre on Thursday, October 29. From there, a five-person jury will pick the winners. Results will be announced Friday (October 30) morning.

The jury includes Tim Miller (director of “Deadpool”), Jean Anne Lauer (Fantastic Fest), Lisa Ogdie (Sundance Film Festival), Neville Page (Emmy Award-winning designer), and Peter Phok (executive producer on A24’s “X” trilogy).

The first-place winner will receive $100,000 in cash; the remaining $100,000 will be split among the other 11 filmmakers in the top 12.

You can visit the festival’s website, register, and watch all the films featured this year for free, including “Blossom” and the other shorts in the top 12.

WEAU’s Maddy at the Movies did a feature on “Blossom” in September when it screened at Micon Cinemas. You can find that story here.