Must-Watch Indies: Brydie O’Connor's BARBARA FOREVER
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Screens Saturday November 14 – 2:30pm + intro), Saturday November 21 – 2:30pm, and Sunday November 22 – 3:30pm
“While highlighting her experimental nature, Barbara Forever also emphasizes Hammer’s appreciation for women, lesbian love, and the possibilities of film as a medium.” – Cortlyn Kelly, Chicago Reader
Saturday, November 14th screening will be preceded by an introduction from Must-Watch Indies programmer and film critic Marya E. Gates.
With Barbara Forever, director Brydie O’Connor weaves together Barbara Hammer’s own work with lots of archival material to form a portrait of the filmmaker as a trailblazing lesbian badass.
Constructed almost entirely from pioneering queer avant-garde filmmaker Barbara Hammer’s own decades-spanning archive, Barbara Forever celebrates the lasting legacy of one of the 20th century’s most prolific and uncompromising cinematic legends. The film traces Hammer’s journey to filmmaking, her boundary-breaking work centering frank lesbian sexuality and pleasure, and her tireless love for film as an artistic medium.
As poetic and inspiring as Hammer herself, the film also features revealing audio diaries and newly filmed conversations with her longtime partner, Florrie Burke. A loving portrait of a rebel with a cause, Barbara Forever will convert the uninitiated and satiate long-time fans alike as it offers a glimpse into Hammer’s creative process, her unique sense of humor, and her unstoppable joie de vivre, even throughout her final years
Executive produced by Christine Vachon, Barbara Forever made its world premiere at the 2026 Sundance Film Festival where it won the Jonathan Oppenheim Editing Award, and also screened at the 76th Berlin International Film Festival.
Brydie O’Connor, 102 mins, USA, 2026, DCP, English
“While highlighting her experimental nature, Barbara Forever also emphasizes Hammer’s appreciation for women, lesbian love, and the possibilities of film as a medium.” – Cortlyn Kelly, Chicago Reader
Saturday, November 14th screening will be preceded by an introduction from Must-Watch Indies programmer and film critic Marya E. Gates.
With Barbara Forever, director Brydie O’Connor weaves together Barbara Hammer’s own work with lots of archival material to form a portrait of the filmmaker as a trailblazing lesbian badass.
Constructed almost entirely from pioneering queer avant-garde filmmaker Barbara Hammer’s own decades-spanning archive, Barbara Forever celebrates the lasting legacy of one of the 20th century’s most prolific and uncompromising cinematic legends. The film traces Hammer’s journey to filmmaking, her boundary-breaking work centering frank lesbian sexuality and pleasure, and her tireless love for film as an artistic medium.
As poetic and inspiring as Hammer herself, the film also features revealing audio diaries and newly filmed conversations with her longtime partner, Florrie Burke. A loving portrait of a rebel with a cause, Barbara Forever will convert the uninitiated and satiate long-time fans alike as it offers a glimpse into Hammer’s creative process, her unique sense of humor, and her unstoppable joie de vivre, even throughout her final years
Executive produced by Christine Vachon, Barbara Forever made its world premiere at the 2026 Sundance Film Festival where it won the Jonathan Oppenheim Editing Award, and also screened at the 76th Berlin International Film Festival.
Brydie O’Connor, 102 mins, USA, 2026, DCP, English
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Where is it happening?
FACETS, 1517 W Fullerton Ave,Chicago, Illinois, United States
Event Location & Nearby Stays:
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