On night three of our Problematic Faves season, get ready to go big or go home.

Dutch auteur Paul Verhoeven’s controversial masterpiece Showgirls (1995) was panned by audiences and critics alike upon first release, and generally denounced as a disaster for its failure to catapult NC-17 rated films into commercial viability as planned.

But since then, the passage of time and the passion of those with good taste has led to it being considered among the most elite of cult classics, screening over and over again to packed audiences worldwide who keep coming back for the sleazy, incisive appeal of Verhoeven’s thesis on the American Dream.

We’ve been waiting for just the right time to screen this one at Transmissions, and it’s finally here.

Elizabeth Berkley makes a career-halting turn as unpredictable dancer Nomi Malone who hitchhikes to Vegas with stars in her eyes, and takes a job stripping before finding her way into the shimmering, cutthroat world of the showgirls in a big budget stage production.

But it’ll take more than her “natural talent” to get to the top, and things get even more complicated when she finds herself caught in the middle of the erotic scheming of a charming producer (Kyle McLachlan) and his girlfriend (Gina Gershon).

Come find us downstairs at Dalston Superstore for a celebration of one of cinema’s most singular achievements.

“You can’t touch me, but I can touch you. I’d really love to touch you”

Subtitles will be displayed throughout.

Seating is a mixture of benches, backed chairs, bar stools and floor space, and is first come first served.

Free tickets and donor options available via OutSavvy