Strip Jack Naked: Nighthawks II

The film Nighthawks, made in 1978 may look very amatuerish today, gay films and independently made films have come a long way since then, but for its time it was pretty groundbreaking and thus, it was historically important. It offers a pretty good look at a vanished time: before AIDS and apparently before anyone had much money(the characters all seem unabashedly impoverished in comparison to today's urban gays). It's very cinema-verite with actors playing themselves, characters based on themselves or based on people the film-makers knew. In 1991 the director made this film, a recollection-documentary on the making of Nighthawks. This film is chiefly worthwhile if you've seen the first and are thirsty for more info on it. The director tells very poignantly his own story of self-discovery and coming out. Most striking is the story of how much effort and determination it took to get Nighthawks made and why there are hundreds of names in the closing credits that the "producers would like to give thanks to" - they are people who sent in small amounts of money after reading in a London gay paper that the filmmakers needed funds to continue the project.