The 24th annual Revelation Perth International Film Festival returns this July, bringing with it a curated programme of more than 35 features and documentaries, celebrating independent filmmakers and boundary-pushing storytellers.
The festival’s theme, ‘Distant But Connected’, reflects in the programme (which features content from 21 countries) as well as the specially-commissioned artwork from Augmented Reality artist Marc-o-Matic.
“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,” Festival Director Richard Sowada says.
The 2021 festival opens with ‘Freshman Year’ (USA) produced by Jay Duplass and starring Cooper Raiff who plays Alex, a lonely Texas freshman studying in LA and having difficulty navigating college life.
Other stand-outs from the US include relationship drama ‘The Killing Of Two Lovers’ and ‘Some Kind Of Heaven’.
Heading a little closer to home, our friends across the ditch in NZ give us ‘The Justice Of Bunny King’, a female-led drama starring Essie Davis (‘The Babadook’, ‘Miss Fisher & The Crypt Of Tears’); and the theatrical version of Warwick Thornton’s ‘The Beach’ (AUS), ‘Women Of Steel’ (AUS), ‘The Last Horns Of Africa’ (S.AF/AUS) and ‘We’re Not Here To F… Spiders’, a tense, claustrophobic drama created from surveillance footage.
'Freshman Year'
‘Jumbo’ (FRA/BEL/LUX) chronicles a special relationship between an amusement park employee and an amusement park ride, and a 4K restored version of the ‘80s Dennis Hopper film ‘Out Of The Blue’ will hit the screen 40 years after its premiere at the Cannes Film Festival.
There’s something for the design enthusiasts in ‘Aalto’ (FIN), a documentary on the life and work of modern architect Alvar Aalto, as well as ‘Kenny Scharf: When Worlds Collide’ (USA), providing an in-depth insight into the visionary American painter and street artist.
A central theme in ‘The Best Battle’ (CHIL) is street art, too – a documentary exploring Santiago’s political street art during the 2019/20 social blast marking the remembrance of the 1973 coup. Audiences can go inside the movement of the alt-right in ‘White Noise’ (USA) or experience the private rituals and celebrations of Australians recreating Pagan traditions for the southern hemisphere with ‘Under A Pagan Sky’ (AUS).
‘Rebel Dykes’ (UK) (produced by Bananarama founding member Siobhan Fahey) takes a dive into the history of the underground lesbian scene emerging in ‘80s London, while ‘Delia Derbyshire’ (UK) is a cinematic portrait of the legendary musical innovator of the same name.
'Kenny Scharf: When Worlds Collide'
The Scandis deliver with ‘Meanwhile On Earth’ (SWE/DEN/EST), a documentary about the funeral industry; ‘End Of The Line: The Women Of Standing Rock’ (US/FIN) with a group of Indigenous women risking their lives to stop the Dakota Access oil pipeline construction which desecrated ancient burial and prayer sites; ‘Oh, It Hertz’ (NOR) where musician Laurie Amat takes a journey into how sound affects us; and ‘NIMBY’ (FIN) which stands for Not In My Back Yard and follows a lesbian couple living in Helsinki and considering coming out of the closet.
Perth party icon Tomas Ford asks you to ‘Have A Bath With Me?’ in a night promising to deliver an immersive cinema experience.
Get Your Shorts On! and the City Of Vincent Film Project shows off some of WA’s talented, emerging filmmakers, and Rev’s Westralia Day continues shining the spotlight on locally-produced short films and long-form content.
WIFT (Women In Film and Television) Australia presents the WIFT V-Fest, showcasing the work of women in the film industry both in front of and behind the lens. . . Meanwhile, Rev’s unique creative experiment Blind Date is bound to be something special, bringing together musicians and filmmakers.
Rev will also continue to present a selection of panels, discussions and workshops, as well as showcasing first-class films on their online streaming platform REVonDEMAND.
Check out the full programme and ticket information here.
Revelation Perth International Film Festival is on from 1-11 July.
