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"Uncle Howard"

U.S. Documentary Competition

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Director Aaron Brookner celebrates his famous family member in the documentary "Uncle Howard," a heartfelt tribute to a fellow filmmaker taken before his time. Brookner's uncle, Howard Brookner, made his name with his first documentary, "Burroughs: The Movie" (1983), an intimate portrait of the Beat writer William S. Burroughs. Aaron goes to Burroughs' New York home, called "The Bunker," to find the never-before-seen outtakes from that documentary, looking for clues about Howard struck such a rapport with the notoriously prickly author. Aaron also draws on the memories of some indie-film legends — Jim Jarmusch and Tom DiCillo — who worked on Howard's crew. Aaron also looks at Howard's other documentary work, and his only narrative film, the Runyonesque "Bloodhounds of Broadway," which was released after Howard's death from AIDS in 1989 (when Aaron was a small child). Aaron gives both a critical appraisal of Howard's too-short movie career and a loving look at the uncle he now knows better through his art.

— Sean P. Means

"Uncle Howard" screens again at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival: Wednesday, 9 a.m., Yarrow Hotel Theatre, Park City; Thursday, 9:45 p.m., Broadway Centre Cinema 3, Salt Lake City; Friday, 8 p.m., Redstone Cinema 7, Park City; Saturday, 2:30 p.m., Egyptian Theatre, Park City.