A screening of Cruising (1980), directed by William Friedkin and starring Al Pacino, presented in celebration of the publication of Sex, Clubs, Dissent: Visualising Queer Nightlife by Amelia Abraham. 

As Abraham writes in the book: ‘When Cruising hit cinemas – a thriller in which Pacino plays a cop hunting a serial killer targeting gay men – protestors boycotted the film’s release, lambasting its representation of gay men as deviant or dangerous.’ However, with time and reappraisal, the film has ‘now come to visually symbolise the nightlife of the Meatpacking District at the time’.

Abraham will be joined in conversation by writer Asa Seresin to discuss the film’s evolving place within queer cinema history.

Part of a new ongoing series, MACK presents a programme of screenings dedicated to film and moving-image works created or curated by MACK artists. As part of MACK Cinema Club, these regular events offer a space to explore the intersections between cinema, writing, and publishing, expanding the conversation beyond the screen. Each screening is accompanied by additional elements, including post-screening discussions and special introductions that open up new perspectives and opportunities within film criticism.