Barbara Hammer’s Inspiring Journey: ‘Barabara Forever’ Wins Teddy Award at Berlin Film Festival

Barbara Hammer’s Legacy Continues Through New Documentary

A new documentary, Barbara Forever, shines a light on the extraordinary life of pioneering lesbian filmmaker Barbara Hammer, whose creative ambition sought to immortalize her voice and experiences. Directed by Brydie O’Connor, the film has gained accolades, recently winning the prestigious Teddy Award for Best Documentary/Essay Film at the Berlinale, alongside the Jonathan Oppenheim Editing Award for U.S. Documentary at the Sundance Film Festival. The Teddy Award jurors remarked that the documentary "traces the evolution of a visionary filmmaker for whom living a lesbian life and finding adequate representation thereof were inseparable from her experimental practice."

In a recent discussion at the EFM’s DocSalon, O’Connor detailed her nearly decade-long journey researching Hammer’s work. "I was in school and writing my thesis on her filmography of the ‘70s… and I couldn’t access her films anywhere," she stated. This led her to reach out directly to Hammer, who graciously sent her DVDs, sparking an ongoing collaboration with Hammer’s widow, Florrie Burke, after Hammer’s passing.

Before Barbara Forever, O’Connor created the 2022 short film Love, Barbara, which explores Burke’s perspective. "Florrie narrates it, and it’s through the lens of their love story for over 31 years," O’Connor explained. This exploration of personal history aligns with Hammer’s approach to filmmaking, which often integrated her own life experiences.

O’Connor emphasized the importance of allowing Hammer to narrate her own story. "Barbara was the expert on her own life and career," she noted. "That was really the genesis, the core idea of Barbara Forever."

Born in Los Angeles in 1939, Hammer was initially envisioned by her mother as a child star, reminiscent of Shirley Temple. However, due to financial constraints, she pursued a more conventional life until coming out as a lesbian at age 30—a moment that she described as her true birth. This catalyzed a prolific period in her career, marked by boundary-pushing films that celebrated lesbian love and examined themes often deemed taboo.

O’Connor remarked on Hammer’s unique artistic voice, explaining, "Barbara constantly felt the tension between being a lesbian filmmaker and making lesbian work while also creating avant-garde art." Despite facing dismissal from both the lesbian and experimental film communities, Hammer ultimately gained wider recognition, including exhibitions at the Whitney Biennial and a retrospective at the Museum of Modern Art in New York.

Now, Barbara Forever is set to screen at the True/False Film Fest in Columbia, Missouri, this March. O’Connor reflected on Hammer’s poignant observation early in the documentary: “I’m creating a lesbian history in a world where we’re invisible.” When asked how societal views have shifted since Hammer’s time, O’Connor noted, “There’s certainly more representation of queer life and queer bodies in the media today, but what’s so fascinating about Barbara’s work is that it’s incredibly personal. The personal is historical, and we need that lens now more than ever.”