See It On 16mm Presents PINK FLAMINGOS (1973)(NC17)(Sat 8/30) 8:00pm

See It On 16mm presents a special 16mm film presentation of PINK FLAMINGOS (1973) on Saturday, August 30, 2025 at 8:00 pm .

PINK FLAMINGOS is a 1972 American surrealist independent black comedy film by John Waters. It is part of what Waters has labelled the "Trash Trilogy", which also includes Female Trouble (1974) and Desperate Living (1977). The film stars the countercultural drag queen Divine as a criminal living under the name of Babs Johnson, who is proud to be "the filthiest person alive". While living in a trailer with her mother Edie (Edith Massey), son Crackers (Danny Mills), and companion Cotton (Mary Vivian Pearce), Divine is confronted by the Marbles (David Lochary and Mink Stole), a pair of criminals envious of her reputation who try to outdo her in filth. The characters engage in several grotesque, bizarre, and explicitly crude situations, and upon the film's re-release in 1997 it was rated NC-17 by the MPAA "for a wide range of perversions in explicit detail". It was filmed in the vicinity of Baltimore, Maryland, where Waters and most of the cast and crew grew up.

Displaying the tagline "An exercise in poor taste", Pink Flamingos is notorious for its "outrageousness", nudity, profanity, and "pursuit of frivolity, scatology, sensationology [sic] and skewed epistemology". It features a "number of increasingly revolting scenes" that center on exhibitionism, voyeurism, sodomy, masturbation, gluttony, vomiting, rape, incest, murder, animal cruelty, cannibalism, zoophilia, castration, foot fetishism, and concludes, to the accompaniment of "How Much Is That Doggy in the Window?", with Divine's consumption of dog feces – "The real thing!" narrator Waters assures us. The film is considered a preliminary exponent of abject art.

The film, at first semi-clandestine, has received a warm reception from film critics and, despite being banned in several countries, became a cult film in subsequent decades. In 2021, the film was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".

THIS IS AN INDOOR CINEMA EXHIBITION. PLEASE PURCHASE ONE (1) TICKET PER PERSON.

ONE (1) admission ticket is required PER PERSON! If tickets are not available on Eventbrite, please purchase your tickets at the box office on the day of the event.

FAQ's

WHAT TIME DOES THE MOVIE START?

PINK FLAMINGOS starts on Saturday, August 30, 2025 at 8:00 pm.

WHAT TIME CAN I ARRIVE?

Attendees will be allowed to enter the auditorium up to 30 minutes prior to show time.

WHERE DO I PARK?

Free parking is available in the parking lot adjacent to the Gardena Cinema on the north side.

WHERE IS GARDENA CINEMA?

Gardena Cinema is located at 14948 Crenshaw Blvd, Gardena, CA 90249.

HOW DO I REDEEM MY TICKET?

Upon purchase, ticket will be emailed to you as a PDF attachment from Eventbrite. When you arrive to the event, please show the entrance attendant the bar code on your ticket at the entrance to the cinema, either by holding up your printed version, or by displaying it on your phone or smart device. Attendant will scan it to check you in, and you'll be good to go into the auditorium!

CAN I BRING FOOD / SNACKS?

NO! This is an indoor screening. Please do not bring outside food or drinks inside the cinema. Tasty refreshments and fresh popped popcorn will be sold at the cinema snack bar.

WILL YOU HAVE RESTROOMS?

YES! Gardena Cinema's lobby, snack bar, and restrooms will be open.

MAY I BRING MY PET WITH ME?

Sorry, PETS ARE NOT ALLOWED INSIDE THE ACTUAL CINEMA BUILDING, (where restrooms and snack bar are located).

WILL YOU BE HOSTING MORE OF THESE?

YES! We intend to continue curating and programming some of the BEST cinema in Los Angeles County! We provide both an intimate Drive-In style setting, as well as traditional indoor cinema experiences. Please support by following us on Instagram and Facebook -- we'll keep you posted on our screenings and events! @GardenaCinema

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Website: www.gardenacinema.com