by James Fletcher
With content compiled from 21 countries, comprised of more than 35 feature films and a comprehensive selection of shorts, REV 2021 is set to open with the anticipated premiere of FRESHMAN YEAR, produced by Jay Duplass (one half of the Duplass Brothers) and winner of the Grand Jury Prize at the 2020 SXSW (virtual) Film Festival. Other notable inclusions from the US include the intense family relationship drama THE KILLING OF TWO LOVERS, while first-time director Lance Oppenheim takes us inside the manicured façade of The Villages – America’s largest retirement community, dubbed the Disneyworld for retirees – with the quirky, dreamlike documentary SOME KIND OF HEAVEN.
Those seeking something a little more homegrown can indulge themselves with the release of the Essie Davis starrer THE JUSTICE OF BUNNY KING fresh out of New Zealand, and the Australian THE BEACH, a theatrical take on Warwick Thornton’s acclaimed NITV doco-series. Other local highlights include the documentary WOMEN OF STEEL, which follows a group of women from Wollongong taking on mining magnate BHP, and the innovative WE’RE NOT HERE TO FUCK SPIDERS, a tense claustrophobic drama deftly structured around surveillance footage.
REV has also managed to secure exciting, thought provoking and amusing entries from the international market, including the documentaries AALTO (Finland) a look at the remarkable life and legacy of celebrated architect Alvar Aalto; REBEL DYKES (UK) a deep dives into the ‘80s underground lesbian scene, produced by Bananarma’s own Siobhan Fahey; MEANWHILE ON EARTH (Sweden) which digs into the culture of the funeral industry and END OF THE LINE: THE WOMEN OF STANDING ROCK, a Finnish/ US co-production that follows the plight of indigenous women risking their lives to stop the encroachment of the Dakota Access pipeline into their sacred lands.
This year’s feature films line-up also includes a screening of the 4K restored version of Dennis Hooper’s 1980 cult film OUT OF THE BLUE, celebrating the 40th anniversary of the film’s premiere at the Cannes Film Festival. Other feature offerings include the Finnish LGBTQ+ drama NIMBY (Not In My Back Yard), the Australian premiere of Susanna Nicchiarelli’s (Nico 1988) MISS MARX, and the enlightening docudrama DELIA DERBYSHIRE which explores the genius of the English electronic music pioneer responsible for, among other tracks, the theme for Doctor Who.
And fans of biopics and docos will also be treated to exposés on the likes of acclaimed street artist KENNY SCHARF: WHEN WORLDS COLLIDE; a profile of an amusement park employee with a very special relationship to one of the park’s rides in JUMBO and a look at the street art activists of Santiago with THE BEST BATTLE.
2021 also sees the return of REV’s Get Your Shorts On! and the City of Vincent Film Project on July 7, providing a showcase for some of WA’s best emerging filmmakers while July 11 will see the festival host two notable events with WIFT V-FEST, a forum for women in the film industry, and the creative experiment BLIND DATE, which will bring filmmakers and musicians together to collaborate on the fly.
And continuing on with its dedicated agenda of exploring emerging tech within the entertainment sector, REV 2021 will again be hosting its VR games conference XR:WA, as well as launching a newly commissioned artwork from acclaimed Augmented Reality Artist Marc-o-Matic.
“After commissioning 4 short VR works last year and mounting a VR games conference with XR:WA, the commissioning of this artwork continues to embed this convergence and experimentation into every fibre of our Festival,” explains Festival Director Richard Sowada.
“It may be a long time before we see international screen artists physically again, but at the very least, in the interim, REV can provide a vibrant conduit to global conversations and relationships,”
