DIRGE Film Festival is  Be Kind Rewind Bristol's  annual secret film festival dedicated to cult, extreme, obscure, and uncompromising cinema; a carefully curated programme for films that exist firmly outside the mainstream, and often outside comfort itself.

Not publicly advertised and intentionally kept off the usual circuits, DIRGE operates as a private, word-of-mouth event; shared quietly and experienced by those curious enough to be invited in. Each edition is assembled as a complete journey through underground horror, transgressive cinema, experimental work, cult oddities, and international curiosities that have earned their reputation through intensity rather than accessibility.

The programming resists easy categorisation. These are films that disrupt expectation, challenge form, and linger long after viewing. Some are infamous, some are overlooked, and others are simply unlike anything else. These are works that feel discovered rather than selected, unearthed rather than promoted.

DIRGE is not concerned with consensus, nostalgia, or industry framing. It exists to create a space for cinema at its most unfiltered: strange, confrontational, visionary, and sometimes overwhelming. Each screening contributes to a larger arc, designed to be experienced as a whole rather than consumed individually.

Presented downstairs at The Ill Repute, the festival maintains an intimate, stripped-back setting that suits its ethos. No promotional gloss, no external spotlight, only a room of viewers sharing the experience in real time.

DIRGE Film Festival takes place every 3rd weekend of May with 6 films being shown over Saturday and Sunday. To find out more about the festival, please contact @bekindrewindbristol or Contact Us