TEN OF SWORDS

Four criminals for hire are in a race against time to recover stolen cryptocurrency from a local data analyst before the authorities, or worse, can get to him.

  • Cortney Michael Long
    Director
  • Cortney Michael Long
    Writer
  • Jason Scott Ramirez
    Producer
    Siege, SCP: Overlord, Simple Mercies,
  • Jake Alvey
    Key Cast
    "THE HUSBAND"
  • Dana Moore
    Key Cast
    "THE WIFE"
  • Cole Thornton
    Key Cast
    "SOUTH"
  • Aaron Mendoza
    Key Cast
    "WEST"
  • Cody Hafterson
    Key Cast
    "NORTH"
  • Brandon Lemmings
    Key Cast
    "EAST"
  • Jared Glen Palmer
    Key Cast
    "THE VILLAIN"
  • Project Type:
    Short
  • Genres:
    Crime, Action, Drama
  • Runtime:
    25 minutes 11 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    September 3, 2023
  • Production Budget:
    10,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    No
Director Biography - Cortney Michael Long

Born and raised in Ogden Utah (now a resident of the Portland Metro Area) Cortney has always had a passion for films and looking under the hood of his favorite movies to see how they achieved the spectacles they did.

When asked what he wanted to do as a job his two choices were Demolition Derby Driver and Director (at least they both start with D, one of them just isn't paying the bills).

Finally in a position to take a chance, he decided to throw everything he had at TEN OF SWORDS, a crime passion project that he thought would never see the screen. After two years in the making (while balancing a 9-5 and all the other fun things life can throw at you) it's about time to get this thing out to the world.

As an LGBTQ+ director jumping head first into filmmaking with an overly ambitious project, it is extremely exciting to see peoples reactions to his debut short TEN OF SWORDS.

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

I'll keep it short and sweet since I also had to write the bio in the third person which is always kinda wild.

I genuinely hope you enjoy TEN OF SWORDS.
It is something that has been bouncing around in my head for some time, and I finally found an amazing team in WHITE WOLF STUDIOS out of San Antonio, Jason Ramirez my producer, and Wayne Gassman of GASSMANN MEDIA out of Kansas City to finally pull it off. This movie took the time, hard-work and love of an entire swath of people across all patches of the American fabric (LGBTQ+, BIPOC, Atheist, Christian, Southwestern, Northwestern, Midwestern etc!) to be realized,

These people dedicated two years of their life to this project and not only am I genuinely proud of the final result, I am grateful that I had such excellent people to keep this film moving through the pipe.

Our mission was simple: avoid the "slicked back hair, leather jackets, suitcase full of money exchange at the railroad tracks" and invested time into creating a tense, gritty, realistic and immersive experience that mirrored the more horrifying sides of contemporary America, organized crime and the violent parameters they operate within.
We knew from the outset we were not interested in making an action movie, we were looking to make an ode to Mann's HEAT and Garrone's GOMORRAH. Doing our best to side-step "first time filmmaker" faux-pas (which is why I was lucky to work with such talented people) and go the extra mile with practical FX (including blank fire weapons using their real sound in the final cut, blood and make-up to reflect the finer side of being beat halfway to hell) and exceptional set pieces (setting the tone with a standard "shot in a house, zero-budget, zero resources" feel only to throw the whole thing on its head with a dilapidated pizza place, a public parking garage, a busy street) to elevate the production.
We took that DIY mindset I was raised in participating in Utah's hardcore punk scene, that same ethic that San Antonio is famous for and ran with it as far as it would take us. Pooling all resources, pulling all favors and making sure we squeezed every drop of juice out of the 25 minutes we crammed this into.

If you appreciate crime films, realism, subtle but effective fx and a weighty mood to your movies I think TEN OF SWORDS will be something you walk away from with a smile on your face.

Thank you for reading!