U.S., 1972, 107 min, 35mm, Dir. John Waters, Rated NC-17, Park Circus


Pink Flamingos (35mm)

Friday 9/16 and Thursday 9/22

"In Pink Flamingos, Waters did something subversive and, in its gross way, quite spectacular: He created his own hell-bent, sick-joke Oz, with Divine as its wicked-witch queen."
—Owen Gleiberman, Entertainment Weekly

"Pink Flamingos remains a delightfully repugnant cinematic treasure."
—Adam Lowes, Cinevue

50th ANNIVERSARY / PRESENTED IN GLORIOUS 35MM

Babs Johnson is a degenerate wanted criminal hiding out with her family in a trailer outside of Baltimore and reveling in the fact that a local tabloid has just labeled her "The Filthiest Person Alive." When fellow low-life Connie Marble learns about Divine's new title, she resolves to usurp the throne and show the world the true meaning of filth. What follows is a spectacular descent into the absolute depths of debauchery in a pitch-black satire that leaves no taboo unbroken.

John Waters is not only cinema's Pope of Trash, he's a certified genius, and Pink Flamingos is perhaps the most infamous and daring of his many cinematic transgressions. Waters and his Dreamlanders—the cast and crew of regulars that included the inimitable Divine and Mink Stole—turned $10,000 and a fearlessness that practically seeps off the screen into a masterwork that has somehow, wonderfully withstood the test of time. It's an undeniable masterpiece that has the distinction of being the most disgusting and sleazy work of fiction ever inducted into the Library of Congress' National Film Registry, along with other equally important films like Citizen Kane and Casablanca.


François Ozon is one of French cinema’s most prolific and celebrated filmmakers. Remarkably, 2022 is the 50th anniversary of three of his favorite filmmakers’ essential works. With this series Ozon and the Early Subversives, we invite you to watch his latest feature, Peter Von Kant, and discover or revisit the aesthetic, cultural, and historical significance of Rainer Werner Fassbinder's The Bitter Tears of Petra Von Kant and Luis Buñuel's The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie (both in new 4K restorations) and John Waters' Pink Flamingos in glorious 35mm.

Check out the rest of our Ozon and the Early Subversives program!