By Travis Johnson
20 years of Revelation Film Festival! What a long, strange trip it’s been, from a single projector set up in the basement of His Majesty’s Theatre to the premium destination event on the Perth film calendar.
This year’s program is once again a mix of the bold, the beautiful, the outre, the transgressive, the downright weird, the outright disturbing, and some stuff for the kids (Rev’s free children’s program has grown significantly over the past few years, and is a great way to encourage junior cinephiles).
Highlights this year are:
• Special guest George Lazenby– Australia’s one and only James Bond will be in attendance to present a documentary about his life plus a special screening of On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, followed by a special ‘In Conversation’ event hosted by, FilmInk Travis Johnson.
• Animated short films at Mini Rev with free children’s screenings at the State Library of WA.
• The launch of Club Rev @ Babushka – a nightly hub for discussion, networking and treasured 16mm screenings.
• Picture Palaces – a visual arts exhibition paying homage to the evolution of the motion picture show in Perth.
• ScreenWest’s annual showcase of emerging WA filmmaking talent in Get Your Shorts On!
• Suspended Voices – an audiovisual requiem at St George’s Cathedral.
Some of the feature films on offer this year include:
Free Fire, Ben Wheatley’s delirious shoot-out, set in 1970s Boston.
Patti Cake$, the Sundance fave which sees Australian actor Danielle Macdonald as an aspiring rapper.
Sylvio, a surrealist comedy that sees the titular small town’s (literal) gorilla go on a journey of self discovery.
Top Knot Detective, the madcap SBS comedy feature that lifts the lid on bizarre Japanese ’90s TV series of the title.
Meanwhile on the documentary side, expect the likes of:
78/52, A look at the massive cultural impact of Psycho’s famous shower scene.
Becoming Bond, the story of how Australia’s George Lazenby took on the mantle of 007.
Dead Hands Dig Deep, an intimate portrait of self-destructive shock rocker, Ed Borsheim.
The Go-Betweens: Right Here, Kriv Stenders’ look at one of Australia’s best loved bands.
Meal Tickets, the long-in-gestation boots-on-the-ground account of the rise and fall of a Perth band.
All up, this year boasts over 200 films, 15 world and international premieres, 41 Australian premieres, 86 Australian films, 35 feature films, 32 documentary features, and over 150 short films and animations.
“The film industry has seen an utter revolution in just the last 18 months let alone the last 20 years and it’s been amazing to watch it unfold,” noted Festival Director and founder, Richard Sowada. “For us, our core principles of providing platforms for unique voices by championing filmmakers like Ben Wheatley, exploring form through our commitment to moving image art and encouraging local content and ideas remain as strong as ever and has made us a leader in this revolution in Australia. We’re all very proud of that.”
Revelation Perth International Film Festival runs from July 8 – 19. For tickets and session times, hit up the official site.
