Cinemas of Bisexual Transgression

In his book Cinemas of Bisexual Transgression, Jacob Engelberg calls for a bisexual reimagining of queer film studies, using transgressive cinematic figures who exceed gay/straight categorisation to challenge binary thinking – from 1970s vampire films to 1990s erotic thrillers; from lesbian imaginings of female bisexuality to European art cinema’s reckonings with HIV/AIDS. Revivifying the underexploited contributions of bisexual theory, he proposes a new mode of film theorisation and analysis that examines the rich space between and beyond dominant categories of sexual organisation, where sexual unpredictability, the allure of the forbidden, and the precarity of sexual signification are illuminated.

“The most comprehensive, considered, and thoughtful analysis of bisexuality in visual culture I have encountered.” – Maria Pramaggiore, co-editor of Film: A Critical Introduction.

Jacob Engelberg is Assistant Professor of Film, Media, and Culture at the University of Amsterdam, he will be interviewed by Misha Kavka, Professor of Cross-Media Culture at the University of Amsterdam.

The book, published by Duke University Press, will be available to buy after the screening. In the summer of 2026, Eye will also be presenting a programme on Queer Joy and Queer Power.