Film archive, 1983

Audience

Name: Audience
Released: 1983
Duration: 32 min

Director Barbara Hammer

1Festival entries

Overall

"I wanted everyone to speak for herself—showing the diversity, sophistication, and playful spirit of a women’s audience, while transcending boundaries," said Barbara Hammer. In the early 1980s, Hammer took her camera to retrospectives worldwide, flipping the lens onto her viewers. With playful curiosity, she captures reflections, humor, and flirtations, subverting traditional gaze into dynamic, reciprocal emotions. Unfolding in an intimate atmosphere, this film is both a vital historic document and a joyous self-portrait, archiving a historically marginalized transnational lesbian community while cementing Hammer’s enduring legacy as a queer cultural icon. Ⓞ Courtesy of the Estate of Barbara Hammer, New York and Electronic Arts Intermix (EAI), New York.

Stills(1)

Film details

Director: Barbara Hammer
Country/Region: United States
Year: 1983
Length: 32min
Original language: English

Director

Barbara Hammer

A pioneer of queer feminist cinema, her work explores desire and gender, transforming lesbian intimacy into flowing poems. Through archival archaeology, she subverts mainstream history, leaving monumental classics like Nitrate Kisses to inspire contemporary queer imagery. ⓄCourtesy of the Estate of Barbara Hammer, New York and Electronic Arts Intermix (EAI), New York. Director’s Portrait Photographer: Unknown.

From Women Make Waves International Film Festival 2026, No. 33

Credits(7)

Director

Barbara Hammer

Cinematography

Frances Reid Penny Ashbrook Jeanette Iljohn Rita Johnson

Barbara Hammer Norma Jean Sanders

Festival appearances(1)

Choose a festival entry to see its screenings, articles and audience reviews.

AudienceWomen Make Waves International Film Festival 2026, No. 33Radical Bodies

Festival history(1)

Women Make Waves International Film Festival, 2026Radical Bodies, Official selection

Stills(1)

Film details

Director

Barbara Hammer

Credits(7)

Festival appearances(1)

Festival history(1)

Film posters(1)