Top 5 at the Revelation Perth International Film Festival
Program Director Jack Sargeant offers up his top five picks for this year’s festival...
Since its inception in 1997, Revelation has become one of Australia's fastest growing film festivals and typically collates a line-up of highly original, compelling and independent projects - the type of films you'd rarely catch at a multiplex cinema. 2011 is no exception and Festival Program Director, Jack Sergeant, sells us on five of the must-see gems playing at this year's event.
1. Charlie Casanova directed by Terry McMahon. There seems to be a real buzz around edgy Irish cinema at the moment, with One Hundred Mornings last year and Tin Can Man a couple of years ago, and now this work. Charlie Casanova follows the gloriously nihilistic Charlie as he goes off the rails in a spectacular fashion, basing all his actions on the same kind of random caprice as ancient gods and watching the ensuing mayhem. The best study of masculinity melting down since Fight Club.
2. Mars (pictured) directed by Geoff Marslett. A really enjoyable post-mumblecore rotoscope animation movie about a trio of astronauts - including emerging cult actor/director Mark Duplass - heading to the red planet. As a special bonus, the legendary Kinky Friedman plays the president, so you know it's good!
3. The Redemption of General Butt Naked directed by Daniele Anastasion and Eric Strauss. A genuinely harrowing documentary about Joshua Milton Blahyi, the former Liberian warlord, as he now seeks forgiveness from the people he once terrified. One of those rare documentaries that really does shake you up.
4. Gravity Was Everywhere Back Then directed by Brent Green. A beautifully realised low budget live action animated feature that's based on the true story of Leonard Wood, a man who tried to build a house that was also a machine to save the love of his life from cancer.
5. Dragonslayer directed by Tristan Patterson. A beautifully shot portrait of skateboarder Josh Sandoval, the movie follows him and his girlfriend and pals as they skate in empty swimming pools, hang out, and avoid the 9 to 5 grind, a perfect vision of rightfully dissolute youth. It won the Grand Jury Award for Documentary Feature at SXSW and it's really easy to see why.
The Revelation Perth International Film Festival runs from July 14-24. To check out the full program and buy tickets, visit the festival website.
