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The Neon Ghost - Cyberpunk Neo-Noir Short Film (4K Ultra HD)

In the incandescent shadows of Los Angeles, a desperate father descends into the city’s industrial underbelly to find his missing daughter, navigating a claustrophobic labyrinth of subway tunnels, storm drains, and forgotten concrete veins. Narrated through the grit of a neo-noir perspective, the story follows his POV as he shifts from the glitzy surface of the boulevards to the flickering, rain-slicked darkness where the city’s "ghosts" reside. Haunted by guilt and guided only by fragmented memories, he stalks the underground like a phantom, realizing that in a city built on illusions, the hardest thing to find is the truth buried beneath the pavement.

  • Mark Starks
    Director
  • Mark Starks
    Writer
  • Mark Starks
    Producer
  • Paul Ganus
    Key Cast
    "Elias (voice)"
    The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
  • Spencer Lacey Ganus
    Key Cast
    "Laura (voice)"
    Frozen (Teen Elsa)
  • John Malone
    Key Cast
    "Carl (voice)"
    Fallout 76: Skyline Valley
  • Deanna Rashell
    Key Cast
    "Peaches (voice)"
    NCIS: New Orleans
  • Wally Wingert
    Key Cast
    "Ghoul (voice)"
    Batman: Arkham (The Riddler)
  • Project Type:
    Short
  • Runtime:
    14 minutes 13 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    May 29, 2026
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Language:
    English
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Athens International Monthly Art Festival
    Athens
    Greece
    August 31, 2026
    Award - Best Short Film - Honorable Mention
Director Biography - Mark Starks

Mark Starks is an acclaimed filmmaker and screenwriter whose work spans narrative fiction and vital documentary filmmaking. His projects have been recognized by international governing bodies, broadcast globally via the United Nations, and preserved for future generations within the permanent collections of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

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Director Statement

Throughout my career in documentary filmmaking, my lens has often been drawn to the stories we look past—the narratives preserved for history versus the realities lived on the fringes. With The Neon Ghost, I wanted to channel that same urgency into a visceral narrative thriller.

Los Angeles is a city defined by its surface brilliance, but its true architecture is built on illusions. By descending with our protagonist into the claustrophobic concrete underbelly of the city, the film explores not just a father's desperate search for his daughter, but a psychological descent into guilt and systemic neglect. The 'ghosts' he encounters aren't supernatural; they are the people our society has rendered invisible. This film is a neo-noir descent into the dark, rain-slicked veins of LA, forcing us to confront the truths we bury beneath the pavement just to keep the surface shining.