FILM AND SCREENWRITING
filmmaker and screenwriter
Cory Bortnicker is a filmmaker and screenwriter. He writes dark-comedy / dramas that explore queer identity, addiction and recovery, and the search for connection in an increasingly disconnected world.
His work is inspired by his own life and the lives of the people closest to him.
Enoch is a feature screenplay 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 was a semifinalist at the Slamdance Screenwriting Competition (2024) and a Second Rounder at the Austin Film Festival Script Competition (2025).
My Name Is Jonas is a feature screenplay about a jaded gay advertising writer spiraling into meth addiction who is chosen by God — disguised as a twink on Grindr — to save New York City from Judgment Day. The script has won numerous accolades, including as a finalist in The Los Angeles International Screenplay Awards (2025) and a semifinalist in the Emerging Screenwriters Screenplay Competition (2026).
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 Philadelphia Film Society’s SpringFest (2025). Cory won “Best Performance” for playing the role of Jonas at the Global Drama Project Short Film Festival (2024) in New York City.