Howard Brookner | |
|---|---|
 Howard Brookner photographed by Paula Court, Paris, 1986 | |
| Born | (1954-04-30)April 30, 1954 New York City, New York, U.S. |
| Died | April 27, 1989(1989-04-27) (aged 34) New York City, New York, U.S. |
| Occupation | Film director |
| Years active | 1978–1989 |
Howard Brookner (April 30, 1954 – April 27, 1989) was an American film director.[1] He produced and directed the documentaryBurroughs aboutWilliam S. Burroughs (1983),Robert Wilson and the Civil Wars on theatre directorRobert Wilson (1986), and directed, co-produced and co-wroteBloodhounds of Broadway (1989).
Howard Eric Brookner was born April 30, 1954, in New York City and grew up inGreat Neck, Long Island. He studied atPhillips Exeter,[2] earned his B.A. fromColumbia University in political science, and his M.A. in art history and film atNew York University, where for his senior thesis he began what would go on to be the highly acclaimed feature documentary onWilliam S. Burroughs. His film crew consisted of his NYU classmatesTom DiCillo (camera) andJim Jarmusch (sound).
Begun in 1978,Burroughs was aired onBBC Arena and premiered at the 1983New York Film Festival.Janet Maslin of the New York Times wrote: "The quality of discovery about 'Burroughs' was very much the director's doing, and Mr. Brookner demonstrates an unusual degree of liveliness and curiosity in exploring his subject."[3]
Brookner followed upBurroughs with a feature documentary onRobert Wilson, documenting Wilson's failed Civil Wars project, offering a closeness to the avant-garde theatre director similar to that inBurroughs.Robert Wilson and the Civil Wars was released on public television in 1986.
In 1987, Brookner began production on theAmerican Playhouse/Columbia Studios feature he had written and was directing,Bloodhounds of Broadway starringMadonna,Matt Dillon,Jennifer Grey,Rutger Hauer, and others.
Secretly, Brookner was battling AIDS, which became exacerbated when he decided to go off his AZT medication to have the strength to finish shooting.The New York Times wrote it "was a race against the clock" as Brookner was gravely ill while fighting the studio for final cut and holding readings for his next filmScary Kisses (with new acting talent that includedSean Penn andTilda Swinton).
He died beforeBloodhounds of Broadway was released and was buried on his thirty-fourth birthday, 1989. Surrounded by friends and family, he left this quote taped to his refrigerator door: "There's so much beauty in the world. That's what got me into trouble in the first place."
Other Credits
Uncredited
In 2012, Howard Brookner's archive was discovered in a number of locations in both the United States and Europe. The collection included 16mm film, reel to reel and mag sound, cassette tapes, 8mm film, VHS, video 8, and personal documents including letters, photos and writings. Some of the material contained never before seen out-takes ofBurroughs, including those withAndy Warhol,Patti Smith,Brian Jones andBrion Gysin. The material was all shot by and for Howard Brookner between the late 1970s and end of the 1980s.
On November 28, 2012, Howard Brookner's nephewAaron Brookner launched aKickstarter campaign to finance digital restoration of Howard Brookner's out of print filmBurroughs. The campaign was successful, gaining $21,360 from 283 backers, beating the initial goal of $20,000. The extra money raised during the campaign, not required forBurroughs, was designated towards preserving and restoring Brookner's wider archives.
The re-release ofBurroughs coincided with the celebration ofWilliam S. Burroughs' one-hundredth birthday, in the year 2014.[4][5]
Uncle Howard is a feature documentary by directorAaron Brookner, nephew of Howard Brookner. The documentary follows Aaron's search for and restoration of Howard Brookner's archives includingBurroughs andRobert Wilson and the Civil Wars.
Simultaneously the film tells Howard Brookner's story from his early filmmaking career at NYU, through his three completed features and up until his death in 1989. The film features contributions from numerous colleagues and friends of Howard's and is executive produced byJim Jarmusch.[6]
On December 2, 2015, it was announced thatUncle Howard would premiere in the U.S. Documentary Competition category at the 2016Sundance Film Festival.[7]
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