'Battlefield America' Director Sued -- I Lost $10,000 On Your Terrible Movie!

DON'T INVEST IN CRAPPY MOVIES ... a hard lesson learned by a single mother who's suing to recover $10,000 from the director of an epic flop.

The woman is going after director Chris Stokes in small claims court, claiming she loaned him $10K to complete "Battlefield America" ... a flick about an underground dance competition. She says she was promised she'd get the $$$ back within 30 days.

But shocker, the movie flopped -- making a pathetic $172,000 in theaters -- and she says she hasn't seen a penny. The woman, Crystal Wade, says she's made repeated demands for repayment ... to no avail.

Our calls to Chris weren't returned ... a trial's been set for next month.

The real slap in the face ... Crystal says Chris has since raised significant capital for his new film ... without repaying his old investors.