John Waters

John Waters is an American filmmaker, author and visual artist whose work uses outrageous comedy to challenge social respectability and conventional ideas of taste. His independent films include Pink Flamingos (1972), Female Trouble (1974) and Desperate Living (1977), followed by Hairspray (1988), Serial Mom (1994) and A Dirty Shame (2004).

The Academy Museum’s exhibition John Waters: Pope of Trash, presented in 2023–24, examined his filmmaking through scripts, costumes, photographs, correspondence and other production materials.