Mark Borchardt | |
|---|---|
 Borchardt speaks at a preview screening ofThe Hagstone Demon at theRiverview Theater in Minneapolis on May 8, 2008. | |
| Born | (1966-08-20)August 20, 1966 (age 58) |
| Occupations |
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| Children | 3 |
Mark Borchardt (born August 20, 1966) is an American independent filmmaker. He is best known as the subject of the 1999 filmAmerican Movie, which documented three years he spent writing, shooting and editing his horror shortCoven (1997).
Borchardt was born and raised inMenomonee Falls, Wisconsin.[1] His mother, Monica, is Swedish.[2] He started making films at the age of fourteen with asuper-8 camera that was given to him by a neighbor.[2] After serving three years in the military, he continued his cinematic endeavors at the local university. In the mid-nineties, he wrote and produced Halloween radio dramas which were broadcast annually and won a fellowship from the Milwaukee Art Futures Board.[3]
FilmmakersChris Smith andSarah Price began filming Borchardt while he was attempting to put together funding for hisunfinished featureNorthwestern.[3] After the project collapsed, Borchardt decided instead to finishCoven, which he had started years earlier.[4] AfterCoven was completed, Smith and Price compiled their footage intoAmerican Movie, which was picked up bySony Classics and won theGrand Jury Prize at the 1999Sundance Film Festival.[4]
Since then Borchardt has been active appearing on television and in movies. Borchardt made five appearances onLate Show with David Letterman,[5] including serving as Letterman's 2000 election correspondent.[6] He made several TV appearances onThe Show with No Name, a show inAustin, TX, between 2000 and 2003. In 2004, he played himself in acameo appearance on the television cartoon seriesFamily Guy,[7] along with friend andAmerican Movie co-starMike Schank. He and Mike also had their own series on Zero TV,Mark and Mike and, in 2006, Mark and Mike hosted a national television special calledNight of the Living Dead: LIVE from Wisconsin onHalloween night.
Borchardt has appeared in several movies, includingThe One (2001),The Tunnel (2001),Abby Singer, &The Godfather of Green Bay (2005). Borchardt also starred inModus Operandi (2009), played a gravedigger in the partially animated comedyHamlet A.D.D. (2014), had a leading role in the horror featureThe Hagstone Demon (2011),[8] and played Mr. Englan in the directorial debut of fellowMilwaukee filmmakerJozef K. Richards,The Amateur Monster Movie (2011).[9] In addition, Borchardt also made a cameo in the music video for theLeslie and the Ly's song "Zombie Killer" featuringElvira, Mistress of the Dark on guest vocals.
He has contributed to Kevin Lindenmuth's 2001 book,The Independent Film Experience (ISBN 0786410752 ) and had his short stories published in magazines. Borchardt is one of a trio of hosts on "Cinema Fireside,"[10] a weekly film discussion show on WXRW 104.1 in Milwaukee.
In 2004, he announced he would directScare Me and sent out casting calls.[11] In 2008, he announced a 2009 release date, which was originally slated for a 2005 release. As of Summer 2010 the movie was still in production and as of 2023, it still has not been released.[12] In April 2012, Borchardt stated that about 65% of the film had been shot, and that he was happy with the first forty pages of the script. However, he maintained parts of the script needed to be revised and while he had rough-cut some of the footage, there was no completion date in place for the project.[13] In a March 2013 update for theScare MeIMDb page, the release date was set for April 1, 2014.[14]
In 2018 he directed adocumentary calledThe Dundee Project, which focused on attendees of a UFO festival in Wisconsin. The film premiered atSlamdance Film Festival (Park City), then played atFantastic Fest (Austin), Nighthawk Cinema (Brooklyn), and the Chicago Critics Film Festival.[15]
Borchardt has three children.[16][17]
| Year | Film | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 1997 | Coven | Writer/director/producer |
| 2000-present | Northwestern (In-production) | Writer/director |
| 2004–present | Scare Me (In-production) | Writer/director |
| 2018 | The Dundee Project | Writer/director/producer |
| Year | Film | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 1999 | American Movie | Self |
| 2000 | Coven | Mike |
| 2001 | The One | Cesar |
| 2001 | The Tunnel | Lincoln |
| 2002 | Britney Baby, One More Time | Dude Schmitz |
| 2003 | Living Dead Girl | Jesus |
| 2005 | The Godfather of Green Bay | Skeeter |
| 2005 | Zombie Island | Al the drunk at the bar |
| 2006 | Family Guy (TV) | Himself |
| 2007 | Confession Stand | Theatre Manager |
| 2007 | The Devil's Muse | Floyd |
| 2008 | First Bass | Principal Papalschmeck |
| 2009 | Living Arrangements | Paul |
| 2009 | Unholy Reunion | Douglas - Interviewee |
| 2009 | Tapioca | Harve |
| 2009 | Dozers | Gawker |
| 2009 | Modus Operandi | Dallas Deacon |
| 2009 | Cabin Fever 2: Spring Fever | Herman |
| 2011 | The Amateur Monster Movie | Mr. Englan |
| 2011 | The Hagstone Demon | Douglas Elmore |
| 2012 | Heavy Hands | The Mechanic |
| 2014 | Hamlet A.D.D. | Gravedigger |
| 2014 | Two Rivers | Dirke |
| 2016 | Here Comes Rusty | Oren |
| 2016 | I Am an Alien | Mark |
| 2019 | Black Licorice | Martin Milo |
| 2020 | Faith Based | Mark |
| 2020 | Small Town Wisconsin | Store Clerk |
| 2004–present | Scare Me | Jeff Lavelle |
| 2018–present | Joe Pera Talks with You | Gordy/Guy at Bar |
| Video | Band |
|---|---|
| "Dead Pan" | Big D and the Kids Table |
| "Garden of Secrecy" | Tenement |
| "Semantics" | Tapebenders |
| “Band Practice/ Uptowner Girl” | SOUP MOAT |
He still lives with his mother while working a paper round and trying to scrape together money for his films. Among his debts is child support for his three children from a relationship with an ex-girlfriend.
| International | |
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| National | |
