Release of the Trailer for “Barbara Forever”: A Radical Portrait of the Avant-Garde Queer Cinema Filmmaker
According to CinemaDrame News Agency, the first trailer for the captivating documentary “Barbara Forever”, directed by Brydie O’Connor, has been released. The film is already being hailed as one of the most enduring and immersive cinematic portraits of an artist in recent years, offering a kaleidoscopic and poetic look into the life, loves, and works of pioneering avant-garde filmmaker Barbara Hammer.
Hammer is best known for her groundbreaking, experimental 16mm films—works that centered on women’s issues and bodies, serving as visual essays on her lived experiences and her coming out after leaving a traditional marriage in 1974. Critics describe the documentary as an intimate guidebook honoring a iconoclastic figure, serving as an invaluable historical treasure for queer cinema enthusiasts.
“Barbara Forever” won the Jonathan Oppenheim Editing Award in the U.S. Documentary Competition at the 2026 Sundance Film Festival. This compelling work draws not only from Hammer’s official filmography but also utilizes outtakes, deleted scenes, and captured moments never before seen in museums or theatrical screenings. The newly released trailer kicks off with a comedic scene featuring Hammer attempting to explain the concept of experimental cinema to a class of children.
The film’s synopsis reads:
“Barbara Forever” is an expansive and immersive exploration of the life, work, and enduring cultural impact of Barbara Hammer—a pioneering artist who lived courageously, created with urgency, and transformed cinema through her singular vision. Her films were an extension of her very being: sensory, experimental, and daring, rooted in a deep longing for connection and an insistence on telling her own story. Drawing from over 80 of Hammer’s films, a vast archive of unpublished material, and extensive audio interviews, Brydie O’Connor creates a space where Hammer’s voice and imagery shine brilliantly.
Following its acclaimed run at Sundance, the documentary screened at the Berlin International Film Festival, where it picked up the Teddy Award for Best Documentary. The film is produced by Space Time Films and Killer Films, with Christine Vachon, alongside Kristen Stewart, Dylan Meyer, and Maggie McLean serving as executive producers through Nevermind Pictures.
“Barbara Forever” is scheduled to open at Film Forum in New York on September 4, followed by theatrical releases in cities including Los Angeles and San Francisco.
