Remembering the life and work of Bill Sherwood
Film director Bill Sherwood only made a series of short film and one feature before his life was cut short by an AIDS related death.
His feature film Parting Glances was the first substantial role for actor Steve Buscemi (pictured above) and one of the first films to tackle the AIDS epidemic.
Released in 1986 the film follows a group of friends in New York City over a 24-hour period. It focuses on a gay couple, but one of the men still cares for his ex-boyfriend (played by Steve Buscemi) who had HIV.
The film was made for just $310,000 but found success as an indie film around the world and has been hailed as important film in the LGBTIQ realm, and in bringing more attention to the challenges faced at the time by people living with HIV.
Following the success of Parting Glances Sherwood wrote more scripts but none were produced. He died of an AIDS related illness in 1990. In 2007 a restored print of the film was released.
Steve Buscemi has gone on to be one of Hollywood’s most hard-working actors appearing in many film and TV projects including Reservoir Dogs, Con Air, Desperado, Armageddon, Boardwalk Empire and many films by the Coen Brothers including Barton Fink, The Hudsucker Proxy, Fargo, Miller’s Crossing and The Big Lebowski.
This post was first posted on 10 February 2020.
