Taking place from 3 – 14 July, this year’s Revelation Perth International Film Festival presents over 30 feature films and documentaries and as well as over 80 short films in a captivating program that promises to deliver unforgettable moments and thought-provoking narratives that will resonate with audiences long after credits roll.
With special events at the WA Museum Boola Bardip, Scitech, State Library of WA and the Perth Library, as well as the annual Industrial Revelations program designed for both emerging and established practitioners, the festival remains steadfast in its commitment to showcasing innovative storytelling and nurturing a vibrant local film community.
“We’re so pleased with the calibre of this year’s program,” says Revelation Director Richard Sowada. “It’s a bumper year for local films of all shapes and sizes and we’re backing the creatives behind them with our biggest professional development program to date. There’s an undeniable momentum driving this year’s program and we can’t wait to experience it with audiences.”
International Feature Films span genres from absurdism and avant-garde cinema to dark humour, including highlights such as Yorgos Lanthimos’ Kinds of Kindness (US) from the offbeat and strange world of writer Efthimis Fillippou (Dogtooth, The Lobster, The Killing of a Sacred Deer) – a triptych fable starring Emma Stone, Jesse Plemons and Willem Dafoe.
Hundreds of Beavers (US) – a Looney-Tunes-esque, genre-defying, slapstick crowd-pleaser about a 19th century drunken applejack salesman who must go from zero to hero and become North America’s greatest fur trapper by defeating hundreds of beavers.
Life’s A Bitch (BELG) – a dark comedy that tells three seemingly disparate stories involving dogs; Sasquatch Sunset (US) – an utterly unique film documenting the lives of a family of Sasquatch living in Northern California finding themselves facing the changing world around them.
The Visitor (UK) from legendary director Bruce La Bruce, which follows a mysterious figure as he appears in London, emerging from a suitcase and soon finding himself at the mansion of a wealthy British family as he proceeds to lead a social, sexual and political revolution.
Australian Films in a similar vein offering fresh perspectives on human relationships and societal norms include Birdeater – an absurdly stylish and chaotic psychological drama where a bride-to-be is invited to join her own fiancé’s bachelor party on a remote property in the Australian outback.
Stubbornly Here – a fascinating exploration of becoming an adult, shot entirely in black and white, this film sits somewhere between everyday surrealism and deadpan observations of human relationships.
The Lies We Tell Ourselves, which is part mockumentary, part experimental film, part comedy, and follows a director as they try and complete a new art house film. The film, about the film, is the film, and the making of the film. This is the epitome of smart, funny, self-aware cinema.
Indie comedies, poignant drama’s and coming of age narratives further enrich the festival experience with standouts like Lousy Carter (US) – a wonderfully downbeat, sharply dry-witted, deadpan tale of a man-child teaching a graduate class about The Great Gatsby.
Power Alley (BRAZ/FR/URU) – a powerful coming of age drama about queer sisterhood, friendship, family, community and women’s experiences; and Head South (NZ) – set in 1979 Christchurch, this semi-autobiographical ode to a post-punk subculture follows a boy who, alone for a fortnight with his world-weary father, is drawn into the underground post-punk music scene.
We Were Dangerous (NZ) – also from New Zealand, but set in 1954, around a so called “delinquent” group of girls who find themselves condemned to a remote institution on an isolated island, this is a celebration of female friendship; and Hesitation Wound (TR) – an unforgettable journey through time and emotion in which a criminal lawyer must make a moral choice.
Kid Snow (AU) – Paul Goldman’s feature drama which was shot in Perth and Kalgoorlie, and stars Billy Howle as a washed-up Irish boxer in the sweat-drenched world of 1970s tent boxing and officially opens the Festival on Wednesday 3 July 2024.
Retrospective screenings including cult classics like Kids (US, 1995), Lake Mungo (AU, 2008), Your Sister’s Sister (US, 2011) and a special 50th anniversary screening of The Parallax View (US) featuring Rev’s Book-to-Film team unpacking how Loren Singer’s 1970 novel became the inspiration for a film which, despite the lukewarm response at the time of its initial release, has since been hailed as an important and hugely influential film of its era.
In partnership with the WA Museum Boola Bardip, the festival presents screenings of timeless classics like First Men in the Moon (1964) and 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968), tickets to which include entry To the Moon exhibition.
The festival closes with the popular Get Your Shorts On! – an exciting selection of short films in a nod to WA’s talented emerging filmmakers.
The 27th Revelation Perth International Film Festival runs 3 – 14 July 2024. For more information and full program, visit: www.revelationfilmfest.org for details.
Images: Billy Howle in Kid Snow | Stubbornly Here | Kids – all stills supplied