Private Project

Hungry Ghosts

Frank Duffy searches for his missing wife who has relapsed on heroin and disappeared. Day and night, he combs the crime-riddled streets, the crack houses. He even seeks advice from a voodoo lady who tells him his wife is being devoured by 'hungry ghosts', spirits who crave and eat away at the living. As Frank's obsession drives him closer to the edge, he risks surrendering his own sobriety and leaving his young son abandoned. Set in the drug-infested badlands of Philadelphia, “Hungry Ghosts” shines a light on the city’s opioid crisis while exploring a family torn apart by addiction.

  • Mark Borkowski
    Writer
    Mark is an award winning writer, director and actor of film and theatre. His directing has been hailed by the LA Times as “Fireworks and Poetry”. He wrote the award winning feature “The Perfect Witness” (w/ Wes Bentley) premiered at the Sitges Film Festival and won the Fantasia Award at the Portugal Film Festival and was picked up by SHOWTIME. Also a award winning playwright, his work has been published and produced around the world.
  • Mark Borkowski
    Director
    Box of Nails, The Perfect Witness, Within the Skins of Saints.
  • David McKittrick
    Producer
  • Marisa Vitali
    Producer
  • Project Type:
    Short
  • Completion Date:
    January 27, 2020
  • Production Budget:
    35,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    2.39:1
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Kraine Theatre, NYC
    June 25, 2015
    Rod Serling Award
Director Biography - Mark Borkowski

Mark Borkowski is an award-winning writer, director and actor of film and theatre. His directing has been hailed by the LA Times as “Fireworks and Poetry”. He wrote the award-winning feature “The Perfect Witness” (w/ Wes Bentley) premiered at the Sitges Film Festival and won the Fantasia Award at the Portugal Film Festival and was picked up by SHOWTIME. He wrote and directed the award winning short "Box of Nails" based on his stage play. Also, an award winning playwright, his work has been published and produced around the world.

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

Throughout my career, I’ve always been inspired to write about addiction and mental illness and their deteriorating effects on humankind. I find it most rewarding to use my art to express the suffering and potential healing through various avenues of recovery. I found the ancient Tibetan myth of the “Hungry Ghost” to be a perfect metaphor for a disease that’s affected so many, including myself. I suffered from addiction for many years until I dealt with the very ghosts and attachments that had been eating me alive. The Kensington neighborhood of Philadelphia seemed the perfect setting for the film, especially since it’s been utterly devastated by the opioid crisis. The number of addicts and fatalities ranks highest in the country, the statistics are staggering. Being a native of Kensington, I’m hoping that the film will show a unique perspective on addiction and recovery while raising awareness for a community torn apart by the epidemic.