Uncle Howard

“Uncle Howard” is an intertwining tale of past and present, the story of filmmaker Howard Brookner whose work captured the late 70’s and early 80’s cultural revolution – and his nephew’s personal journey 25 years later to discover his uncle’s films and the legacy of a life cut short by the plague of AIDS. Howard Brookner was buried on his 35th birthday in 1989. He was gay; an Ivy League graduate; broke artist; rising Hollywood star; heroin user; jet-setter; bohemian; seedy nightlife lover; director of cult docs; an honest and devoted friend- he was many things to many people. To director Aaron Brookner, he was a loving and inspirational uncle who died of AIDS when Aaron was only seven, right when Howard was on the brink of a promising filmmaking career. His relationship with William S. Burroughs marked his gateway to artistic and personal freedom. 23 years after his death, Howard’s work and memory are fading. But Aaron finds the clues to the many sides of his uncle’s story in a modern day tomb, in Burroughs’ New York City bunker. Inside, more than 300 cans offer a glimpse at Howard’s life and career, including outtakes from his 1983 debut film “Burroughs: The Movie”, the first and most revealing film about the iconic writer. Howard’s video diaries become Aaron’s guides to piecing together a Rashomon-like existence to fulfil his uncle’s dying wish not to be forgotten.