Revelation Perth International Film Festival kicks off with SISSY this Thursday 7 July
The silver jubilee edition of the annual Revelation Perth International Film Festival starts this Thursday 7 July with a screening of Aussie comedy/slasher flick SISSY kicking off the 10-day celebration of the best independent global and local cinema.
The programme includes 26 features, 16 full length documentaries and over 50 short films and short documentaries from 29 countries.
Not-to-be-missed international feature films include:
• 18 ½ – set in 1974 where a White House transcriber is thrust into the Watergate scandal when she obtains the only copy of the infamous 18 ½ minute gap in Nixon’s tapes;
• A DELICATE FIRE – a ground-breaking 60-minute opera film that pays homage to the music of the great Barbara Strozzi and features WA soprano Taryn Fiebig;
• AFTER BLUE – a French sci-fi-western adventure;
• THE PASSENGERS OF THE NIGHT – a warm French family drama set in the 80s starring Charlotte Gainsbourg;
• WHERE IS ANNE FRANK? – an animated feature that explores Anne Frank’s life, her diary and her legacy
Micro-budget Aussie features include existential comedy drama THE LONELY SPIRITS VARIETY HOUR, the second part in the 2020 trilogy of pandemic feature films from director Matthew Victor Pastor, A PENCIL TO THE JUGULAR, and the locally-made EDWARD & ISABELLA, starring Chloe Hurst; CHERUBHEAD from 19-year-old director, producer, writer and star Sarah Legg; and Tim Barretto’s BASSENDREAM which has sold out at Luna Leederville but tickets are still available for the second session at Luna on SX in Fremantle; July 16.
Rev also presents a line-up of compelling documentaries:
• A HOUSE MADE OF SPLINTERS – Winner of Sundance’s World Cinema Documentary Best Director Prize;
• NAVALNY – which follows the man who survived an assassination attempt by poisoning with a lethal nerve agent in August 2020;
• A LIFE ON THE FARM – tells the tale of a filmmaking farmer and the inspiring legacy of his long-lost home movies;
• STAGE CHANGERS – which was filmed over eight years AND follows the brilliant, young WA theatre company The Last Great Hunt and its team of exceptionally creative artists creating their biggest and most daring project to date;
• MAKE ME FAMOUS – madcap romp through the 1980s New York art scene amid the colourful career of painter, Edward Brezinski, hell bent on making it
With a programme featuring films direct from Rotterdam, Berlin, SXSW, Venice and Locarno Film Festivals, presented at Luna Leederville and Luna on SX, the 25th annual Revelation Perth International Film Festival also presents an INDUSTRIAL REVELATIONS programme of panels, discussions and workshops both in-person and online.
Short Film Panel
Sunday 10 July, 12pm at Roberts on Oxford
Presented by Andrew Peirce from The Curb
Panel guests: producer Kate Separovich (Evie, Good Night), writer/director David Vincent Smith (Good Night) and director Chris Elena (Refused Classification)
Music and Storytelling with Kenneth Lampl
Sunday 10 July, 2.30pm at Centrestage Recording Studios
This lecture will explore both the creative process of film scoring as well as its rich history.
Mind the Gap: Bringing Mature Women Back into the Screen Industry
Saturday 16 July, 10am at The Backlot
This discussion will explore the barriers to female participation and progress in the screen industry and ageism. Presented in association with WIFTWA.
Breaking into the Screen Industry
Saturday 16 July, 12pm at The Backlot
Q&A moderated by Amanda Bridgeman, writer and WA AWG Committee member
Panel guests: producer Tania Chambers, director Grant Sputore, Screenwest’s Martha Coleman
You’ll Never Work in this Town Again
Saturday 16 July, 1.30pm at The Backlot
Artist-led approaches to getting fossil fuels out of the arts, presented by PVI Collective’s Kelli McCluskey
Props, Prosthetics and Practical Effects
Saturday 16 July, 3pm at The Backlot
Professional artist and independent filmmaker Erin Coates will share behind the scenes stories from DIY green screen techniques to underwater kinetic silicone props and bulk fake blood!
John Bradburn (ZOOM) Writing An Interactive Story
Saturday 16 July, 4.30pm at The Backlot
John Bradburn has been directing music videos and interactive films for the last 10 years. In this workshop he will explain how to write an interactive story with Twine; a browser based story maker.
It’s Time for Change
Sunday 17 July, 11.30am at The Backlot
A panel of cinematography, sound and composition practitioners discuss gender, diversity, industry culture and mental health issues. Moderated by Dr. Cathy Henkel, WA Screen Academy Director.
Indie Filmmakers
Sunday 17 July, 3pm at Roberts on Oxford
Presented by Andrew Pierce from The Curb
Writer/Director Adam Morris (Edward and Isabella), writer/director Platon Theodoris (The Lonely Spirits Variety Hour) and writer/director Matthew Victor Pastor (A Pencil to the Jugular) explore what goes into making an indie film in Australia.
The Festival closes with a celebration of WA’s talented local emerging filmmakers with GET YOUR SHORTS ON! and CITY OF VINCENT FILMS Sunday 17 July. Special mention to City of Vincent film project Walk, Run, Strive – created by ECU Screen Academy students Sarah Williams (producer) and Emma Jackson (director) – which has been nominated for a 2022 BAFTA Student Film Award. The film is the only finalist from the southern hemisphere and has been nominated in the documentary category. Last year’s City of Vincent film project Pacing the Pool has been accepted into more than 100 festivals globally and filmmakers will be presented with the award for Best Script from Art Without Limit International Film Festival by a representative from the Embassy of the Republic of Kosovo at Revelation’s Closing Night.
Revelation is supported by the Australian and West Australian governments through Screenwest, Lotterywest, Screen Australia and the City of Vincent.