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The Neon Ghost

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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.

✨ PROJECT HIGHLIGHTS:

Union Proud: Produced entirely under an official SAG-AFTRA agreement.

Micro-Budget Pioneer: Achieved a total physical production cost of exactly $0.00.

Immersive Format: Told entirely from a stylized, first-person psychological POV.

Veteran Voice Cast: Features elite Hollywood talent from The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, Batman: Arkham, Frozen, Fallout 76, and NCIS.

  • Mark Starks
    Director
    Glaciers: Nature's Resilient Water Towers (UN/AFA)
  • Mark Starks
    Writer
    Glaciers: Nature's Resilient Water Towers (UN/AFA)
  • Mark Starks
    Producer
    Glaciers: Nature's Resilient Water Towers (UN/AFA)
  • 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:
    Experimental, Short, Television, Web / New Media
  • Genres:
    Neo-Noir, Drama, Suspense, Crime
  • Runtime:
    14 minutes 13 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    May 29, 2026
  • Production Budget:
    0 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    4K Ultra HD
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Digital Cinema Package:
    Available
  • Athens International Monthly Art Festival
    Athens
    Greece
    May 29, 2026
    Award - Best Short Film - Honorable Mention
  • Follow Your Heart NY
    New York, New York
    United States
    June 4, 2026
    Selection
  • First-Time Filmmaker Sessions Volume 6
    Pinewood Studios, England
    United Kingdom
    June 15, 2026
    Selection
Distribution Information
  • Starks Films
    Distributor
    Country: Worldwide
    Rights: All Rights, Internet, Video on Demand, Pay Per View, Hotel, Airline, Ship, Theatrical, Video / Disc, Free TV, Paid TV, Console / Handheld Device
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.

Add Director Biography
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. By stripping away traditional financial barriers and relying entirely on open-source engineering, this project stands as proof that profound cinematic storytelling belongs to the power of performance, not the size of a budget.