Private Project

Time Is Money

Jace, a financially challenged writer/director and self-proclaimed graduate of the school of Mark Duplass, delivers packages to survive while struggling to secure funds for his first indie feature. A bonus for the top-ranked delivery driver could solve his problems.

  • Duran Jones
    Director
    SATURDAY, Jerome, Hallelujah, FIVE
  • Duran Jones
    Writer
    SATURDAY, Jerome, Hallelujah, FIVE
  • Claire Holl
    Producer
    Daddy, Push
  • Denielle "Deni" Johnson
    Producer
    SATURDAY, JULIA
  • Duran Jones
    Producer
    SATURDAY, Jerome, Hallelujah, FIVE
  • Bruce Lemon
    Key Cast
    "Jace"
    Hallelujah
  • Jesus Sepulveda
    Key Cast
    "Daniel"
    Mr. Tough Life, House of Chico
  • Project Type:
    Short
  • Runtime:
    11 minutes 39 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    September 23, 2024
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Digital Cinema Package:
    Unavailable
Director Biography - Duran Jones

Duran Jones is a graduate of The American Film Institute Conservatory, class of 2021. During his AFI tenure, he also graduated from the 2020 PGA Power of Diversity workshop, where his pilot “Daywalker,” was a standout. In 2021 he was selected as a Sundance Feature Film Producers Lab Fellow with the script "The Incredible Heist of Hallelujah Jones, which is currently in development with Netflix and 40 Acres and a Mule Filmworks (Spike Lee). “Hallelujah” the short film proof of concept for that feature, produced by Jones, won the Grand Prix for Best Short and the Best Producer Award at the Holly Shorts Film Festival; qualifying for the Oscars. Jones is currently building his independent film slate under his company BLK MGC Content and completed a residency at the Mara Brock Akil "Writer's Colony."

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

This is the story of my life. A college graduate with a BA in Broadcast Journalism (a dying industry) and an MFA in Film (another dying industry), still clinging to the dream of “making it” on my terms. I’ve carried many odd jobs throughout my life but the job I had making deliveries for a large corporation, which we will refer to as AmaZen, takes the cake. Ten-hour days, spent driving and delivering over 250 packages to over 150 stops, for a measly $200 per day.

I tried the Executive Assistant and PA routes, but both took up an extreme amount of time leaving little room for my extracurricular creative pursuits. So, I followed the advice of Mark Duplass with the spirit of Robert Townsend and Melvin Van Peebles (maxing out credit cards). I wrote and produced multiple shorts with my film school friends, but now it’s my turn to sit in the director’s chair. It’s time to cash in on the goodwill and favors I’ve collected to give myself an opportunity. What better way to do that than to make a “self-indulgent” comedic short film about a ridiculous accident I had working at AmaZen? Yes, this is based on a true story.

The goal is to capture the absurdity of what we’re willing to put ourselves through as artists, while simultaneously telling a shamelessly self-deprecating story that lets every other filmmaker know “I see you, I’m one of you.” This is a hard journey; it only gets harder the longer you do it. The one thing we can all count on in this industry are the insane and insanely talented people in our community to foolishly tell us to keep going. This film is an homage to those people.