Cruising (1980) directed by William Friedkin.
Book tickets
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.
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.
Bios
Amelia Abraham (she/they) is a journalist and author from London. She writes for Art Review, The Guardian, The Observer, Dazed, AnOther, and other titles on queer arts, culture, and politics. Her books include Queer Intentions: A (Personal) Journey Through LGBTQ+ Culture (2019) and We Can Do Better Than This: 35 Voices on the Future of LGBTQ+ Rights (2021).
MACK is an independent publisher of award-winning books on contemporary art, critical theory, film and architecture. We work with pioneering creative minds and institutions across the globe and pride ourselves on the rigour and care that goes into every stage of the book-making process. In 2010, our founder Michael Mack set out to build a publishing house that engages in critical dialogues around visual culture in beautifully designed editions. In the early years we focused predominantly on photography, quickly becoming the home for work by leading practitioners including Thomas Demand, Roe Ethridge, Jim Goldberg, Guido Guidi, Luigi Ghirri, Paul Graham, Alessandra Sanguinetti, Collier Schorr, Stephen Shore, Rosalind Solomon, Alec Soth, Larry Sultan, as well as debuts which launched the careers of numerous artists, including Sofia Borges, Gregory Halpern, Joanna Piotrowska and RaMell Ross.
Part of MACK Cinema Club, an ongoing series of screenings of film and moving-image works by MACK artists, exploring the intersections of cinema, writing and publishing, and extending the conversation beyond the screen.
Book tickets
Wed, 27 May 2026
Cinema 1
06:45 pm
Ticket information
- All tickets that do not require ID (full price, disabled, income support) can be printed at home or stored in email
- For aged-based concession tickets (under 25, student) please bring relevant ID to collect at the front desk before the event.
Access information
Cinema 1
- Both our Cinemas have step free access from The Mall and are accessible by ramp
- We have 1 wheelchair allocated space with a seat for a companion
- All seats are hard back, have a crushed velvet feel and they do not recline
- These are our seat size dimensions: W 42 x D 45 x H 52
- Arm rest either side of the seat dimensions: L 27 x W 7 x H 20
for the following requirements:
- We have unassigned seating. If you require a specific seat, please reserve this in advance
- Free for visitors where ticket prices are a barrier, please email
Talk + screening: Sex, Clubs, Dissent by Amelia AbrahamWed 13 May, 6:45pm
Join us in celebrating the launch of Sex, Clubs, Dissent with a visual presentation and performance lecture from Amelia Abraham, Sweatmother and Nasir Anthony Montalvo on interpreting queer nightlife histories across print, film and decentralised digital space.
Members+ and all Patrons gain free entry to all cinema screenings, exhibitions, talks, and more.
Join today as a Member+ for £25/month.
