“[CRUISING] promises to be the most oppressive, ugly, bigoted look at homosexuality ever presented on the screen, the worst possible nightmare of the most uptight straight and a validation of Anita Bryant’s hate campaign.”
—Arthur Bell, Village Voice

Al Pacino stars as a rookie cop sent deep into the bowels of New York’s gay leather scene to catch a serial killer—and perhaps himself—in William Friedkin’s adaptation of the novel by Gerald Walker. Inspired by a real series of unsolved killings and produced in the wake of the assassination of Harvey Milk, CRUISING and its perceived anti-gay bias drew fierce criticism and protests from all corners of the queer community. Queer Film Historian Elizabeth Puchell will host and participate in a discussion about the film and its social impact after the screening. In 35mm

Elizabeth Purchell is an Austin-based queer film historian and archivist. Her multimedia project Ask Any Buddy explores the gay adult film industry’s role in both the development of queer cinema and the spread of gay culture at large.