John Waters

Director | Actor | Writer

Date of birth : 04/22/1946

City of birth : Baltimore, Maryland, USA

“If someone threw up at one of my screenings, it would be like a standing ovation”. Humor, transgression and social criticism are the essence of the works of John Waters, a symbol of trash cinema that has turned bad taste into a form of art. Born in Baltimore in the 50s and fascinated since childhood by the provocative, violent and grotesque expressions, he has created films where humor and discomfort intertwine in search of breaking social boundaries. Walters disrupts popular culture narratives by transforming the vulgar into satirical entertainment with films like Pink Flamingos (1972). Shot with low budgets and raw aesthetics, they showcase his marked kitsch style with trembling shots and extreme angles that emphasize absurdity through chaos. His evolution as a director is reflected in his work, with films such as Polyester (1981) and Hairspray (1988), where he uses ironic soundtracks to enhance the action. However, these are just new additions to his cinema, which is still committed to the celebration of the strange, inconvenient and grotesque expressions.