Barbara Forever!

On Sunday, June 14, 2026, the National Gallery of Art hosts the Washington premiere of *Barbara Forever!*, a feature documentary about the influential lesbian experimental filmmaker Barbara Hammer (1939–2019). Directed by Brydie O’Connor, the film weaves together excerpts from Hammer’s own avant-garde works with archival footage, sound recordings, and personal memories from family, lovers, and friends to create a powerful and sensitive portrait of an artist who used her camera as an extension of her body to capture and express lesbian experience on screen. The screening is followed by a post‑screening discussion with producer Elijah Stevens, human rights advocate Florrie Burke (Hammer’s life partner of 31 years), and filmmaker/curator Joey Carducci, who collaborated with Hammer on the Teddy Award‑winning short *Generations*.

Title: *Barbara Forever!* (Brydie O’Connor, 2025, DCP, 101 minutes)
Part of: We Have Always Been Here 2026
When: Sunday, June 14, 2026, 2:00 p.m.–4:30 p.m. (film + discussion)
Venue: National Gallery of Art, East Building, East Building Large Auditorium (6th and Constitution Ave NW, Washington, DC 20565)
Admission: Free (registration required via “Register Now” link on the event page)
Run time: 101 minutes
Post‑screening discussion: In person with producer Elijah Stevens, Florrie Burke, and Joey Carducci
Awards: Winner of the Jonathan Oppenheim Editing Award: US Documentary at the 2026 Sundance Film Festival; also won the Teddy Award for Best Documentary at the 2026 Berlinale
Filmmaker background: Director Brydie O’Connor is a Kansas‑born, New York‑based filmmaker whose work activates archives through queering nonfiction storytelling; her debut feature *Barbara Forever!* also received the Tom Berman Award for Most Promising Filmmaker at the 64th Ann Arbor Film Festival. She is a graduate of George Washington University’s American Studies Department (2020). Producers include Elijah Stevens (Space Time Films, Signpost Pictures), whose slate focuses on formally inventive creative nonfiction and international co‑productions.
Audience: Adults (ages 18+ suggested; the event is listed as “Adults”)
Partnership: Presented in partnership with the DC/DOX 2026 film festival
Note: The gallery’s admission is always free; no separate ticket charge for the screening, but advance registration is required.