May 2026 at GFT

Seasons and Festivals

May marks two major anniversaries for us at GFT. We first opened as the Cosmo 87 years ago on 18 May 1939, and we were founded as Glasgow Film Theatre 52 years ago on 2 May 1974. To celebrate, we’ve curated a special birthday programme showcasing “big screen classics” — films that truly deserve to be experienced in the cinema.

As one of the few cinemas in Scotland still equipped to project both 35mm and 70mm film, we’re proud to present a line-up that includes the new 70mm restoration of John Ford’s The Searchers, Christopher Nolan’s Interstellar on 70mm, and Anthony Minghella’s The English Patient on 35mm. Audiences will also have the opportunity to experience Dr Zhivago, Once Upon a Time in the West, Mad Max: Fury Road, The Fall, Mulholland Drive, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, A.I. Artificial Intelligence, and Resurrection — a new otherworldly cinema experience from Chinese filmmaker Bi Gan — alongside his acclaimed 2018 feature Long Day’s Journey Into Night.

Within the birthday programme, we’ll also present a mini-season celebrating screen icon Diane Keaton, who died in October 2025, with special screenings of The Godfather, Annie Hall, and First Wives Club.

The UK-wide Doc’n Roll Film Festival returns to GFT this May with four exceptional films celebrating music subcultures. On Thursday 14 May, we’ll screen the “anti-documentary” How Tanita Tikaram Became a Liar, followed by a live Q&A with Tikaram and director Natacha Horn. On Friday 15 May, Rave Culture: A New Era explores the birth of underground rave culture in 1980s Britain. Saturday 16 May brings Robert Clem’s Big Mama Thornton: I Can’t Be Anyone But Me, a deep dive into the Deep South blues scene and the life of Willie Mae “Big Mama” Thornton. The festival concludes on Sunday 17 May with Felix, Dare to Dream, telling the story of artist and tattoo pioneer Felix Leu and the legendary Leu Family.

Our long-running Coen Brothers of the Month strand returns with a screening of A Serious Man, while May’s Queer Cinema Sundays screening will feature the acclaimed 1984 documentary The Times of Harvey Milk, introduced by season programmer Rosie Beattie.

We’re also delighted to announce the return of Glasgow Youth Film Festival (GYFF), taking place from Friday 25 to Sunday 27 September 2026. GYFF is co-programmed by Young Programmers aged 15–18 who are mentored through a summer school with the Glasgow Film team. Applications for this year’s Young Programmers are now open at https://youthfilmfest.glasgowfilm.org/get-involved/

Special Screenings

On Sunday 3 May, we’ll present Power To The People: John & Yoko Live in NYC — the 2026 multiscreen concert film capturing John Lennon and Yoko Ono’s legendary Madison Square Garden performances from August 1972, newly restored, re-edited and remixed by the Lennons’ seven-time Grammy Award-winning team.

For the third year running, we’re thrilled to welcome actor Greg Sestero for a Q&A screening of cult phenomenon The Room on Saturday 9 May. Fans of event cinema can also enjoy National Theatre Live’s production of The Playboy Of The Western World, starring Nicola Coughlan, Éanna Hardwicke and Siobhán McSweeney, screening on Thursday 28 May.

Looking ahead to June, we’ll begin the month with two special events: a new 4K restoration of The Misfits celebrating the 100th anniversary of Marilyn Monroe’s birth, and a screening of climate documentary People’s Emergency Briefing, presented by New Future in partnership with GFT, Atelier Ten, Architecture Fringe and Architects Declare, followed by a panel discussion featuring local councillors, newly elected MSPs and representatives from Scotland’s built environment sector.

New Releases and Re-Releases

Three beloved 1980s cult classics return to our screens this May in stunning new 4K restorations: Highlander, Top Gun, and Rob Reiner’s coming-of-age classic Stand By Me, all celebrating their 40th anniversaries.

We’re also excited to screen The Christophers, Steven Soderbergh’s highly anticipated new comedy drama starring Ian McKellen and Michaela Coel, opening at GFT on 15 May.

Additional new releases and re-releases arriving throughout the month include The Stranger, Amelie, Exit 8, Wild Foxes, I’ve Seen All I Need to See, Romeria, Being Ola, Our Land, Portrait of a Lady on Fire, Wake in Fright, Sailm nan Daoine (Psalms of the People), Queer as Punk, Orphan, Kokuho, Hen, The Balloonists, Eagles of the Republic, and Power Ballad.

Following its hugely popular run with audiences, Everybody to Kenmure Street — the documentary chronicling a spontaneous act of civil resistance in Glasgow’s Pollokshields — will continue screening throughout May. Audiences will also get another chance to catch some of our most talked-about titles from the past year, including No Other Choice, Marty Supreme, The Secret Agent, and One Battle After Another.

Accessible Screenings

Alongside our extensive programme of captioned and audio-described screenings, we’re continuing our accessible film events throughout May.

Access Film Club, delivered in partnership with the National Autistic Society Scotland, offers a welcoming environment with a screening and post-film discussion. This month’s event features a dubbed screening of Oscar-nominated animation Arco. Tickets are priced at £7.40.

Visible Cinema, our Deaf-friendly film event, returns with a screening of Celine Song’s Past Lives, accompanied by Solar Shorts from Solar Bear. The event includes descriptive subtitles, live captioning, and BSL interpretation to ensure full accessibility for Deaf, deafened and hard of hearing audiences. Tickets are £7.40.

Our dementia-friendly Movie Memories event will present the classic Western 3:10 to Yuma. Designed to create a safe and welcoming social environment for people living with dementia, tickets are £4 and include free refreshments and live music.

Tickets for our May programme are on sale now via glasgowfilm.org and the GFT Box Office.

If May’s programme includes plenty of films on your watch list, our memberships remain one of the best ways for regular cinemagoers to save. CineCard (£51 per year) includes four free tickets, £1.50 off standard screenings, priority booking for Glasgow Film Festival, and discounts at local restaurants. CineCard+ (£100 per year) includes all CineCard benefits plus four additional free tickets, monthly 2-for-1 offers on select screenings, exclusive surprise screenings, and 10% off at the GFT café/bar.