History Lessons

Directed by Barbara Hammer
United States
2000
67 mins

Synopsis

With wit and mischief, Barbara Hammer’s History Lessons playfully reworks archival footage to imagine a world where lesbians were always visible and impossible to ignore.

The final instalment in her experimental “Invisible Histories Trilogy” (Nitrate Kisses, also screening at SFF, was first), constructs an irreverent version of lesbian history. Drawing on clips from Hollywood films, newsreels, educational and medical films, vintage explicit erotica, and more, it re-edits and sometimes revoices these materials, transforming their original meanings. Once marginalised or erased sapphic lives are reimagined as evidence of presence and possibility. The film exposes how dominant narratives have excluded, distorted and controlled lesbian representation across history. Both cheeky and incisive, it reveals how images can be reclaimed, reframed and made newly queer.

Screens with short film Menses

Hammer recreates history as she sees fit, reclaiming footage originally shot by men and subverting their original messages of female duty and desire. The result is a smart, and at times, ridiculous look at women’s history that conflates gender, manipulates time and begs for viewer interaction.
Michelle Handelman, IndieWire

Tickets

Fri 12 June 2026, 6:30pm
Dendy Newtown - Cinema 2
Assisted ListeningWheelchair
Aboriginal FlagTorres Strait Flag

Sydney Film Festival acknowledges Australia’s First Nations People as the Traditional Owners and Custodians of the land, and pay respect to the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation, upon whose Country SFF is based.

We honour the storytelling and culture of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities across Australia.

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