On Thursday 16th July 2026, Be Kind Rewind Bristol returns to the downstairs cinema at The Ill Repute with one of the strangest, most personal, and most fascinating films ever committed to celluloid: Glen or Glenda (1953).

Written, directed by, and starring the legendary Ed Wood, this deeply sincere cult oddity was made at a time when almost nobody in Hollywood was willing to touch its subject matter. Part semi-autobiography, part exploitation film, part surreal fever dream, Glen or Glenda attempts to explain cross-dressing and gender identity to a 1950s audience through a haze of dream sequences, stock footage, morality lectures, and inexplicable appearances by Bela Lugosi.

The result is unlike anything else.

Earnest where it should be sensationalist. Compassionate where it should be judgemental. Bizarre where it could have been ordinary.

For all its technical shortcomings and wonderfully strange detours, there's something genuinely moving about Glen or Glenda. Beneath the chaos lies a heartfelt plea for understanding from a filmmaker exposing something deeply personal at a time when doing so carried real risk.

It's funny. It's surreal. It's historically significant. And it's impossible to forget.

▶ The Ill Repute, Old Market - downstairs cinema room
▶ Doors 7:30pm / Film 8pm sharp (no late entry)
▶ Free entry - first come, first served (arrive early to guarantee a seat)
▶ Drinks and snacks available at the bar

Be Kind Rewind Bristol is a free bi-weekly Thursday cult film night celebrating strange, beloved and offbeat cinema in the downstairs screening room at The Ill Repute.