FILM AND SCREENWRITING

award winning filmmaker and screenwriter

Cory Bortnicker is an emerging filmmaker and screenwriter. His two projects, Enoch and My Name Is Jonas, are both modern adaptations of ancient Jewish legends that transform lesser known biblical figures into contemporary queer heroes.

His work is inspired by his own life and the lives of the people closest to him.

Enoch is a feature screenplay. It’s about a long term AIDS survivor confronting his past when the ghosts of his dead friends return and convince him to share his life story with a young graphic novelist. The script is a semifinalist in the SLAMDANCE SCREENWRITING COMPETITION (2024) and a Second Rounder in the AUSTIN FILM FESTIVAL SCRIPT COMPETITION (2024).

My Name Is Jonas is a concept for a television series. It’s about a young gay songwriter struggling with meth addiction who gets a second chance at life when he meets God and finds out that he’s actually a prophet who must save New York City from Judgment Day. The pilot script has won numerous accolades, including as a semifinalist in THE LOS ANGELES INTERNATIONAL SCREENPLAY AWARDS (2024), a quarterfinalist in the BIG APPLE FILM FESTIVAL SCREENWRITING COMPETITION (2024), and as a quarterfinalist in the INROADS SCREENWRITING FELLOWSHIP (2024).

My Name Is Jonas is also a short film that Cory wrote, directed, and stars in. It has played at film festivals around the country, including at OUTSOUTH QUEER FILM FESTIVAL (2024), the TWIN CITIES JEWISH FILM FESTIVAL (2024), and the SAN FRANCISCO QUEER FILM FESTIVAL (2024). Cory won “Best Performance” for playing the role of Jonas at the GLOBAL DRAMA PROJECT SHORT FILM FESTIVAL (2024) in New York City.

You can learn more about the short film here.

Cory is currently in pre-production of a short film based on Enoch. He is also developing a third property about queer allyship and the history of PFLAG currently titled Hannah’s Prayer.