“Prepare to be shaken and stirred.”
These were the closing words of Revelation Perth International Film Festival director and founder Richard Sowada as he officially opened the 20th anniversary of the festival (10 June) at Luna Palace in Leederville (Perth).
The 2017 festival (6-19 July) will feature over 200 films, 15 world premieres and 41 Australian premieres. “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,” Richard said.
“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.”
With award-winning movies, world, international and local premieres, new Australian works and live performances, Revelation 2017 is a celebration of the strength of all aspects of screen culture.
Featuring dedicated programmes from the Iranian Film Festival, Irish Film Festival, the Revel-8 Super-8 short film festival and Screenwest, Revelation 2017 will entertain and inspire audiences, while Industrial Revelations will feature some of the festival's guests exploring key aspects of the industry at dedicated panels and workshops.
Revelation Academic meanwhile sees scholars – from academic institutions and independent researchers – delivering papers and exploring cinema and visual culture. ‘Club Rev’ will be running every night till late throughout the festival at the Babushka Bar (Leederville Hotel) with live music, 16mm film screenings and panel discussions.
In partnership with the Fremantle Arts Centre the festival has also established ‘Warp’, an exhibition comprised of eight Australian artists exploring how screen and technology has affected our perception of the world and how we interact with the people around us.
Revelation 2017 has several children’s activities organised throughout the city, with free family screenings at the State Library of WA and animated feature films at all Luna cinemas.
Revelation Perth International Film Festival Highlights
- George Lazenby. Australia’s one and only James Bon d 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
- 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
- The Perth debut of four WA-made feature documentaries, showcasing the talent of our local industry
- ScreenWest’s annual showcase of emerging WA filmmaking talent in Get Your Shorts On!
- Suspended Voices: an audiovisual requiem at St George’s Cathedral.
