10 SEPTEMBER 2026 By Sherry Sklar A local filmmaker set out to make a movie about connection, love and community. In the process, the making of the film created the very kind of community his story celebrates. “Underneath the Glittery Moon” is about people coming together through a fictional Scottsdale theater and discovering relationships across generations. Behind the camera, writer and director Mark Bork brought together local actors, crew members, businesses, organizations and people of all ages to produce his first feature film. His message: Connection requires participation, and perhaps, vulnerability. People need places and reasons to connect, and love can bloom at any age for those open to it. Mark described the film as being about shared experiences. His characters meet because they participate in something together: church, bowling, the theater. “That’s where you meet people, and things happen,” he said. His career was spent largely in video and film production, including corporate and promotional work, commercials, a PBS documentary and 10 years producing for the Arizona Cardinals. He was inspired decades ago by Kevin Costner’s work on the film “Dances With Wolves,” which Costner produced, directed and starred in. Retirement gave him the time to tackle a project he had long wanted to undertake. “I watched it and thought, oh my gosh, he assisted in the writing. He produced it. He’s the head producer. He’s the director, and he’s starring in it,” Mark said. “How do you do all that? I hope I can do that someday. And this? This was the day.” Jessica Spring Brown, Mark’s writing partner, collaborated with him to develop the project over several years. They first met at the Phoenix Screenwriting Association when Mark attended one of its table reads. Writing the romantic comedy himself, Mark quickly realized that he needed a woman’s voice as well as his own. “I was about 50, 60 pages into the script,” he said. “I realized at that point that I need a female voice, or else I’m going to miss things.” They worked well together, collaborating over several years to develop the storyline. “I affectionately call it spitballing,” Brown said. “We would take the script and send it back and forth to each other.” Brown later took on the role of script supervisor, a new learning experience that involved reworking pages of dialogue on set. The realities of shooting scenes under compressed timelines in real businesses taught her a thing or two about improvisation. “I was literally crammed between the camera and sound operators, while feeding lines to the actor,” Brown chuckled. The film was shot entirely within the Valley, spotlighting recognizable locations, coffee shops, restaurants and nightclubs where the story unfolds. It was Mark’s dream to make a homegrown film that brought together writers, actors and crew and spotlighted Scottsdale’s photogenic backdrop. Alongside a cast of 30 actors, Moriah Silverberg plays Katie, a spirited 22-year- old barista with Down syndrome who anchors the film. The message is one of connection and acceptance: seeing past assumptions and breaking down walls. The barista character was deliberately developed as someone with a disability to show that we all contribute to our society. Silverberg auditioned for her first acting role after Mark discovered her at GiGi’s Playhouse, a nonprofit offering free therapeutic and educational programs to individuals with Down syndrome. “Underneath the Glittery Moon” will have its world premiere on October 15 at 7 p.m. at the Virginia Piper Theater at the Scottsdale Center for the Arts. A companion coffee-table book documenting the making of the film is also being produced, with a cast- and-crew signing planned at Anticus Fine Art Gallery following the premiere. Brown called making the film the greatest educational experience of her career. She talks about Phoenix as a place where people can effectively live “behind walls.” Yet, unexpectedly, the project became a personal journey of connectedness. “If you have an opportunity to get involved, do it,” she said. “Jump in and get to know your neighbors through an avenue or passion.” People who might otherwise remain strangers can become the heart of your community. Scottsdale plays a starring role in new feature film Mark Bork The Valley takes center stage in “Underneath the Glittery Moon,” a film that showcases the power of connection, community, acceptance and relationships. PHOTOS COURTESY OF MARK BORK If you have an opportunity to get involved, do it, jump in and get to know your neighbors through an avenue or passion. M ED I C A L • D EN TA L • SU R G ERY • B OA R D I N G • O B ED I EN CE T R A I N I N G Member Since 1959 4855 E Thomas Rd, Phoenix AZ 85018 | ingleside.com HOSPITAL 602-840-3446 BRIAN A. SERBIN, DVM • FELICITY GESINA, DVM • MOLLY R. KLEIN, DVM HEBAH MOHAMED, DVM • ASHLEY BROWN, DVM DR. ANNABELLE BRIGHT • DR. PETER TSIVIKAS • DR. LIZZIE TAMAS We ALWAYS accept new clients! OPEN 7 DAYS A WEEK