Love, Barbara

In her collection of over 100 films, pioneering experimental filmmaker Barbara Hammer centered her own body, community, and love to create performative documentations of her lived experience as a lesbian. Her imprint on the art world, on women artists, and on the lesbian community is profound and indelible. However, her greatest love of all — Florrie Burke, who was her partner of over 30 years — was left largely visually unexplored in her public work. In Love, Barbara, the viewer witnesses Burke’s enduring love and grief as she discovers artwork inspired by their relationship, much of it previously unseen, that Hammer left for her to find only after she was gone. This film blends cinematic imagery and archival materials such as video letters, sketches, and writing to offer a touching tribute to Hammer. It is simultaneously a reflection on Hammer’s life and the continuance of an intimate conversation between lovers that transcends death. Love, Barbara offers an artistic exploration of grief, love, sexuality, and what it takes to make a radical impact through art.