mineshaft_still
    Mineshaft
    The Cruising Murders
    ABOUT THE PROJECT

    LOGLINE
    Gay men are being murdered in 1970s New York City…a crusading journalist is desperate to warn his readers…a famous Hollywood director is looking to make his next thriller. This is the true story behind the controversial film Cruising, which ignited furious protests by gay activists and yet is now considered a classic by many who once despised it. But few realize that behind the film lay a true crime far darker, more fascinating, and more revealing, than any Hollywood screenplay.

    SYNOPSIS
    William Friedkin’s 1980 film Cruising is a movie with many lives. The story of an undercover cop who infiltrates New York’s leather bars to catch a serial killer, it deeply divided the gay community when it was filmed on location in Greenwich Village in 1979. Hundreds of protesters tried to shut it down, while many in the gay community supported the film and participated as extras. The controversy raised vexing questions about freedom of speech and artistic expression, LGBTQ rights, the role of sexual minorities, the limits of sexual liberation and a host of white-hot issues that still resonate today.

    After Cruising initially flopped at the box office, it painted such a vividly realistic portrait of 1970s gay New York, particularly the legendary and now-vanished leather bars and cruising areas that today have been gentrified beyond recognition, that many now consider it one of the great classics of gay cinema. Even people who once led protests against it now celebrate the film as a precious time capsule.

    But few realize that Cruising was based on one of the most fascinating, gruesome and little-known serial killings in American history. From 1973 to 1977 someone was murdering gay men, dismembering their bodies and dumping them in plastic bags in the Hudson River. Cops called it the “Fag in a Bag” murder spree and the mainstream press totally ignored it.

    But one crusading gay reporter at The Village Voice, Arthur Bell, raised the alarm in a sensational series of articles. And when a disturbed gay man named Paul Bateson murdered film critic Addison Verrill, Arthur Bell actually helped the cops catch Bateson and bring him to justice. But was Bateson responsible for any of the other murders, still to this day unsolved?

    The stories of the crusading gay reporter, the alcoholic killer and his victim—an out gay man enjoying his newly won liberation—provide a unique window into the formative years of the gay movement. How the murders inspired director William Friedkin to make Cruising is one of the great, untold tales of Hollywood history. And the story of the subsequent protests, the film’s initial reception, the mass shooting that followed, and today’s critical reappraisal has more twists and turns than most Hollywood thrillers. Rarely has a true-crime saga had so many repercussions, touched so many lives, or so profoundly changed the course of social history in America.


    PROJECT TYPE Documentary Feature

    DIRECTOR Jeffrey Schwarz
    PRODUCER John Boccardo, Jeffrey Schwarz

    WEBSITE automatpictures.com/mineshaft


    The Film Collaborative (TFC) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to providing programs and services for independent filmmakers. TFC’s federal tax ID number is 32-0295081. All donations are tax deductible to the extent allowed by law.

    Support a TFC Fiscal Sponsorship Project

    Please help support this project with a tax deductible contribution. The “donate” button below will take you to PayPal, but a PayPal account is not required to make a donation. You can check out 2 ways:

    1. Use your PayPal account
    2. Check out as a guest by selecting “Donate with a Debit or Credit Card” (no PayPal account is required)

    Transaction Fee

    Please consider covering the PayPal transaction fee by selecting the “I’d like to add to my donation to help offset the cost of processing” box on the next page. This will ensure your intended full donation amount will be received for the project.

    Alternate Donation Payment Methods

    If you prefer to donate by check, Zelle, ACH, or wire transfer, please email us for instructions.

    Stock Donations

    TFC accepts stock donations. By donating stock that has appreciated for more than a year, you are giving 20% more than if you sold the stock and then made a cash donation, since you will not pay capital gains taxes on the donated stock. Learn more here.

    Please email us for instructions to donate stock to a fiscally sponsored project.

    Donor Advised Fund (DAF) Donations

    A donor-advised fund, or DAF, is like a charitable investment account for the sole purpose of supporting charitable organizations. TFC accepts DAF donations and is on file with most major DAF companies. Provide your DAF TFC’s Tax ID: 32-0295081. If we are already on file with your DAF company, they will process the donation.

    If TFC is not already on file with your DAF company, please email us for instructions.

    Tax Receipts

    In compliance with IRS rules, tax receipts for your charitable gift are issued for the amount The Film Collaborative receives after payment processor fees are deducted. The Film Collaborative emails tax receipts in PDF format within 30 days of your online donation. The “receipt” that is immediately sent to you from PayPal after you donate is just a payment receipt, not the tax receipt.

    Matching Donations

    Many companies have matching gift programs and can help you double your donation to a project of your choosing. Sometimes these programs will match a donation up to a year after it was originally made! Check with your employer—if they have a matching gift program, they will provide you with instructions.

    End of Year Giving

    November, December, and January are big giving months each year. Donors top up their annual giving in November and December. January is a new fiscal year, and some donors start their giving for the next fiscal year early. Some donors even give at the end of the year and again in January since these donations fall into different fiscal years.

    Donors tend to make their large year-end donation decisions before the holidays start. In 2024, that means before December 20. TFC can accept donations by wire, ACH, and Zelle until 5:00pm Eastern Time on December 31. Online donations by credit or debit card can be made until 11:59pm Pacific Time on December 31.