Barbara Forever
A documentary about Barbara Hammer, a pioneer of avant garde cinema whose work made queer life, joy and resistance visible on screen.
Who gets to be seen, pictured, and ultimately become part of history? Brydie O’Connor’s documentary Barbara Forever delves into the world of experimental film pioneer Barbara Hammer in a way that feels just as unique as its subject herself. Hammer (1939–2019) was a visionary of lesbian cinema, a visual poet who filmed herself, her loved ones, and her community over the decades.
“I’m creating a lesbian history in a world where we’re invisible,” Hammer stated. She was driven by a burning need to bring to light lives and histories that had all too often been marginalised. Built from archival materials, diaries, photographs, and Hammer’s own voice, the documentary does not settle for telling a life story in the traditional way. O’Connor’s direction breathes the same air of experimentation as Hammer’s films. The film invites the viewer into the heart of an artistic process in which making art is a form of resistance, the personal inextricably political, and joy queer.
Barbara Forever reminds us of the power of film and archives to preserve life and make visible what is too often forgotten by cultural memory. This documentary, which had its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival and won an award for editing, is a moving tribute to an extraordinary filmmaker and life.
Riikka Pennanen (translated by Moritz Müller)
Screenings
-
Kino Engel 2Fri 18.9. at 20.30–22.12102 min, 1/3
-
Kino Engel 1Sat 19.9. at 17.00–18.42102 min, 2/3
-
Kino ReginaSun 27.9. at 14.00–15.42102 min, 3/3