Barbara Forever

Directed by Brydie O'Connor
United States
2026
102 mins
Unclassified 18+
This Berlinale Teddy Award-winning portrait of lesbian film pioneer Barbara Hammer captures her prolific career and radical vision that reshaped queer and experimental cinema.

Marking the debut feature of Brydie O’Connor, this engaging documentary draws on archival footage, interviews and excerpts from Hammer’s filmography. Premiering at Sundance, where it received a well-deserved Editing Award, it reveals an artist driven by curiosity, activism and an unrelenting creative force, whose practice spanned more than 80 works across five decades. Hammer’s charisma, humour and intelligence animate the film as she speaks candidly about her process, her politics and her desire to celebrate marginalised people whose stories have not been told. From explicit lesbian erotica to disorienting, strobe-like effects, it captures the enduring influence of an artist who continues to inspire new generations.

Brydie O’Connor channels the radical queer spirit of Barbara Hammer.
Murtada Elfadl, Variety

Tickets

Wed 3 June 2026, 6:15pm
Dendy Newtown - Cinema 1
Assisted ListeningWheelchair
Sat 6 June 2026, 3:30pm
Event George St - Cinema 3
Assisted ListeningWheelchair
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Sydney Film Festival acknowledges Australia’s First Nations People as the Traditional Owners and Custodians of the land, and pay respect to the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation, upon whose Country SFF is based.

We honour the storytelling and culture of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities across Australia.

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