Hank’s Saloon: The Movie

In 2018, I was invited to film the infamous Brooklyn dive bar Hank’s Saloon in the final months before it closed down forever.

Built in 1850, this tiny sagging building existed as a bar, under various names and owners, since 1904. Prior to becoming Hank’s, it was known for 30 years as the Doray Tavern, a nondescript hole-in-the-wall that—depending who you ask—was either the quintessential “creepy old man bar”, or an oasis of safety and camaraderie in what could otherwise be a troublesome neighborhood.

In 2000, it took on the name Hank’s—and a new, hot-rod-flame paint job. The bar soon became a favorite hangout of local punk, rock, jazz, and honky-tonk musicians, culminating in what would briefly be known as the “Brooklyn Country” scene. With the demise of legendary Manhattan punk clubs such as CBGBs—and the larger migration to Brooklyn in general—the bar’s reputation as an anything-goes hub of ground-level music and culture only intensified.

Meanwhile, behind the scenes, the property changed hands several times. Thanks to a dizzying series of defaults and escrows—fueled by an unprecedented explosion of local real-estate prices—rumors of the bar’s impending demise could be heard as early as 2006. Despite this, the bar’s newfound reputation as a music venue and internationally known icon of “authentic New York” only grew. But it remained, at its heart, the kind of smelly, run-down, beer-and-whiskey dive where anyone—and I mean anyone—who knew how to tip a bartender and stay out of a fight was welcome.

Due to other editing work, I was forced to put this project on the back burner for a few years. But thanks to a very successful crowdfunding campaign in 2024, the Hank’s Saloon documentary is nearly complete. The film is currently in the very final stages of post-production, with the goal of premiering at festivals in 2025.