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She’s Beautiful, Sexy, Angry and Liberated! Barbara Hammer's Lesbian Films of the 1970s + live readings (18*)

Queer 70s

,Cinema 1
A still from Superdyke, showing the front of a bus with a group of women inside. On the front of the bus is a large banner saying Lesbian Express.

Celebrating the legacy of Barbara Hammer (1939-2019), a true pioneer of LGBTQ+ cinema with a special event featuring her groundbreaking shorts Dyketactics, Superdyke, Women I Love and Double Strength.

With a career spanning 50 years, Barbara Hammer is a pioneer of feminist and queer cinema. A visual artist working primarily in film and video, the 1970s saw Hammer create a groundbreaking body of experimental work that illuminated lesbian histories, lives and representations.  

These 1970s films reflect Hammer’s newfound lesbian identity, sexuality and community. These frank, lustful shorts came out of the women’s movement; an incredible era of personal and political liberation. Her filmmaking changed the landscape not only of cinema, but of queer lives and histories. This event celebrates her legacy with key shorts and a tribute to Hammer by Deborah Stratman, poetry by Joelle Taylor and readings by Lisa Gornick.

Presented in partnership with Queer Brewing, the UK's first queer-and trans-owned brewery. Try their beers in our Cinemas!

Tagged with: Cinema Queer 70s

Curated by Selina Robertson. In association with Club des Femmes. 

Dyketactics, Superdyke, Women I Love and Double Strength: Courtesy of Electronic Arts Intermix (EAI), New York

Please note this screening includes depictions of nudity and real sex. 

Lisa Gornick is a filmmaker, artist and performer. She often combines all three in her films and live performances. She has made three award winning essayistic-comedy features: Do I Love You? (2003) Tick Tock Lullaby (2007) and The Book of Gabrielle (2016). Her short films include Dip (2010) and My Primary Lover Never Hollywood Kissed Me (1998). Since 2016 she returned to live performance using real time projected drawing, music, speech and song.

Joelle Taylor is the author of 5 collections of poetry and one novel. Her most recent collection C+NTO & Othered Poems won the 2021 T.S Eliot Prize, and the 2022 Polari Book Prize for LGBT authors. C+NTO is currently being adapted both for theatre, and into a television screenplay, and was featured on the Radio Three documentary Butch. She was recently honoured with a DIVA Award for Outstanding Contribution and named in the 2025 Pride Power list.

Film information
  • Release year   1974-2019
  • Country   USA
  • Director   Barbara Hammer
  • Runtime   2hr (approx)

In partnership with

Logo for Queer Brewing
‘My work makes these invisible bodies and histories visible. As a lesbian artist, I found little existing representation, so I put lesbian life on this blank screen‘
Barbara Hammer

Biographies

Selina Robertson is a film programmer, researcher and founder member of queer feminist curating collective Club des Femmes. She is an associate lecturer at Birkbeck.  

Club des Femmes is a queer feminist collective who curate film screenings and events. Their mission is to offer a freed-up space for the re-examination of ideas through art.  

Programme

Dyketactics 

US 1974 dir Barbara Hammer 4 min

A celebration of lesbian sensuality and sexuality in nature. 'The first lesbian-lovemaking film made by a lesbian' - Barbara Hammer  

 

Superdyke 

US 1975 dir Barbara Hammer 18 min 

Women take to the streets! Barbara leads a platoon of vagina warriors with Amazon shields in an action to overthrow San Francisco. 

 

Women I Love 

US 1976 dir Barbara Hammer 23 min 

A gorgeous playful series of cameo portraits of Barbara’s friends and lovers interwoven with erotic fruit and vegetables.  

 

Double Strength 

US 1978 dir Barbara Hammer 15 mins

The cycle of a relationship – from its erotic formations to feelings of serenity, play and power; a breakup and lasting friendship. Starring Terry Sendgraff on trapeze.  

 

Vever (for Barbara)  

Guatemala, US 2019 dir Deborah Stratman 12 mins 

Fragments of a film shot in Guatemala. A reflection on the problems involved in ‘diary films’. A loving work of feminist historiography. A dedication to Barbara.  

Cinema 1

Location
Barbican Cinema 1 is located within the main Barbican building on Level -2. Head to Level G and walk towards the Lakeside Terrace where you’ll find stairs and lifts to take you down to the venue floor.   

Address
Barbican Centre
Silk Street, London
EC2Y 8DS

Public transport
The Barbican is widely accessible by bus, tube, train and by foot or bicycle. Plan your journey and find more route information in ‘Your Visit’ or book your car parking space in advance.