Revelation Perth International Film Festival began in 1997. Founded by Richard Sowada to showcase a large range of independent feature films, documentaries, short films, and experimental works, it runs every July in

Perth Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. It is the fourth most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of 2.1 million (80% of the state) living in Greater Perth in 2020. Perth is ...

, Western Australia and is regarded as one of the best independent

film festival A film festival is an organized, extended presentation of films in one or more cinemas or screening venues, usually in a single city or region. Increasingly, film festivals show some films outdoors. Films may be of recent date and, depending upon ...

s in

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

History

Revelation's roots are as an underground film festival started in the basement of the Greenwich Club in Perth, Western Australia. The 1997 Festival ran 24 September – 4 October. In addition to the Greenwich Club, events and screenings were held at the Luna, Picabar, and Kulcha theaters. Opening night at the Greenwich featured Beat movies, live jazz, and DJ Joe 19. Screenings included "Timothy Leary's Dead": (Paul Davids), "Bad Bugs Bunny" (

Dennis Nyback Dennis Nyback (July 30, 1953 – October 2, 2022) was an American independent film archivist, found footage (appropriation), found footage filmmaker, historian and writer. Nyback operated the Dennis Nyback Film Archive, which has over 13,000 s ...

),and "Beat America" (Bruce Connor, Kenneth Anger, etc.).''x-press Magazine,'' Perth, Western Australia, 9/18/97 The festival has developed into a large cultural event, screening films at cinemas and nightclubs across the city. Revelation specialises in

independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in the New Hope, Pennsylvania, area of the United States during the early 1930s * Independ ...

and documentary films. Since its inception the festival has grown in size and scope. Alongside film screenings, the festival also features special events, including collaborations with musicians providing live soundtrack scores, academic conferences on cinema and culture, and associated visual art exhibitions. It is a tightly curated event that also includes international animations, short films, experimental works and hybrid styles. It annually receives around 400 entries from the international community and is programmed from a mix of these submitted and invited works. From 2001 - 2008 the festival collaborated with SPLIF - Screening Perth's Local Independent Films - showcasing local independent films and

short films A short film is any motion picture that is short enough in running time not to be considered a feature film. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences defines a short film as "an original motion picture that has a running time of 40 minutes ...

as part of the festival. In 2006 founder and festival director Richard Sowada began working at the

Australian Centre for the Moving Image ACMI, formerly the Australian Centre for the Moving Image, is Australia's national museum of film, television, videogames, and art. ACMI was established in 2002 and is based at Federation Square in Melbourne, Victoria. During the 2014-15 finan ...

. Filmmaker, broadcaster and journalist

Megan Spencer Megan Spencer (born 1966) is an Australian broadcaster, film critic, journalist, media maker, and teacher. Biography Spencer studied Speech pathology in Melbourne before pursuing interests in film and radio. In the 1980s, as a volunteer, she co- ...

became program director for the 2007 festival. Since 2008 Jack Sargeant, film theorist, author and curator, has programmed the event, maintaining its unique status amongst Australian film festivals. The festival has expanded each year, attracting wider acclaim and an increased international profile. Since its inception Revelation has featured Australian premieres and films such as ''Sonic Outlaws'' directed by

Craig Baldwin Craig Baldwin (born 1952) is an American experimental filmmaker. He uses found footage from the fringes of popular consciousness as well as images from the mass media to undermine and transform the traditional documentary, infusing it with the ...

, ''Sick: The Life & Death of Bob Flanagan'', ''Heavy Metal Parking Lot'' by

Jeff Krulik Jeff Krulik is a director of independent films and a former Discovery Channel producer. Krulik's work frequently explores the fringes of popular culture from an enthusiastic and appreciative point of view. He is best known for his 1986 document ...

, ''WADD: The Life & Times of John C Holms'', ''Divine Trash'', ''Spellbound'', ''

One Hundred Mornings ''One Hundred Mornings'' is a 2009 Irish post-apocalyptic drama film written and directed by Conor Horgan. It was one of three films funded by the Irish Film Board's Catalyst Project, designed to give up-and-coming filmmakers the opportunity to pro ...

'', ''Wheedle's Groove'', ''Nude Study'', ''Pictures of Superheroes'' and

cult movies A cult film or cult movie, also commonly referred to as a cult classic, is a film that has acquired a cult following. Cult films are known for their dedicated, passionate fanbase which forms an elaborate subculture, members of which engage ...

such as ''Beat Girl'', ''

Pull My Daisy ''Pull My Daisy'' is a 1959 American short film directed by Robert Frank and Alfred Leslie, and adapted by Jack Kerouac from the third act of his play, '' Beat Generation''. Kerouac also provided improvised narration. It features poets Allen ...

'', ''

Gimme Shelter "Gimme Shelter" is a song by English rock band the Rolling Stones. Released as the opening track from band's 1969 album ''Let It Bleed''. The song covers topics of war, murder, rape and fear. It features prominent guest vocals by American singer ...

'', and ''

Cigarette Girl In Europe and the United States, a cigarette girl is a person who sells or provides cigarettes from a tray held by a neck strap. They may also carry cigars and other items like candy, snacks, and chewing gum on their trays. Uniform The most ...

.'' The event has participated as a platform for a range of feature and documentary works that have gone on to attain

theatrical Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actor, actors or actresses, to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a stage. The p ...

DVD The DVD (common abbreviation for Digital Video Disc or Digital Versatile Disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any kin ...

or other on-going release and sales in Australia. It also works actively with a range of major Australian screen culture events, organisations and festivals with guests, curated programs and individual titles.

Opening night films

Opening Night Films have included: *2002: ''The Low Down'' (directed by

Jamie Thraves Jamie Thraves (born James Thraves, 2 June 1969 in Romford, London) is a British film writer and director. Biography Thraves began making early short experimental films in 1989 at the University of Humberside, having previously studied illustrat ...

); *2003: ''Gimme Shelter'' (directed by

Albert and David Maysles Albert Maysles (November 26, 1926 – March 5, 2015) and his brother David Maysles (January 10, 1931 – January 3, 1987; ) were an American documentary filmmaking team known for their work in the Direct Cinema style. Their best-known films i ...

and

Charlotte Zwerin Charlotte Zwerin (born Charlotte Mitchell, August 15, 1931January 22, 2004) was an American documentary film director and editor known for her work concerning artists and musicians. However, she is most known for her editing contributions to th ...

); *2004: ''Reconstruction'' (directed by

Christoffer Boe Christoffer Boe (born 1974) is a Danish film director and screenwriter. He is an established and well-known not only in Denmark, but all through the world. Among his international awards there are FIPRESCI Director of the Year at San Sebastián ...

); *2005: '' Kontroll'' (directed by

Nimród Antal Nimród E. Antal (; born November 30, 1973) is a Hungarian Americans, Hungarian-American film director, screenwriter and actor. Life and career Antal was born in Los Angeles, California, to parents of Hungarian people, Hungarian descent. In 199 ...

); *2006: ''Ambulance'' (directed by

Laurits Munch-Petersen Laurits Munch-Petersen (born on July 19, 1973; in Copenhagen) is a Danish film director who graduated from The National Film School of Denmark with his Oscar-winning diploma film "Between Us" (:da:Mellem os, Mellem Os) in 2004. This film won 13 i ...

); *2007: ''

Monkey Warfare ''Monkey Warfare'' is a 2006 Canadian drama film written and directed by Reginald Harkema, starring Don McKellar, Tracy Wright, and Nadia Litz. The film received multiple awards at the Vancouver Film Critics Circle Awards 2006, and received an ho ...

'' (directed by

Reginald Harkema Reginald Harkema (born 1967) is a Canadian film editor and director. He is a three-time Genie Award nominee for Best Editing at the 17th Genie Awards in 1996 for ''Hard Core Logo'', at the 19th Genie Awards in 1998 for '' Last Night'' and at the ...

); *2008: '' Island of Lost Souls'' (directed by

Nikolaj Arcel Nikolaj Arcel (born 25 August 1972) is a Danish filmmaker and screenwriter. He is best known for his 2012 film ''A Royal Affair'' which won two prizes at the Berlin International Film Festival and was nominated for Best Foreign Language Film at ...

); *2009: ''

Sita Sings the Blues ''Sita Sings the Blues'' is a 2008 American animated musical romantic comedy-drama film written, directed, produced and animated by American artist Nina Paley. It intersperses events from the ''Ramayana'', light-hearted but knowledgeable disc ...

'' (directed by

Nina Paley Nina Carolyn Paley (born May 3, 1968) is an American cartoonist, animator, and free culture activist. She was the artist and often the writer of the comic strips ''Nina's Adventures'' and ''Fluff'', after which she worked primarily in animati ...

); *2010: ''

Good Hair ''Good Hair'' is a 2009 American documentary film directed by Jeff Stilson and produced by Chris Rock Productions and HBO Films, starring and narrated by comedian Chris Rock. Premiering at the Sundance Film Festival on January 18, 2009, ''Go ...

'' (directed by

Jeff Stilson Jeff Stilson (born c. 1959) is an American Stand-up comedy, stand-up comedian, writer and Television producer, TV producer. Stilson was born in Spokane, Washington, Spokane, WA. He began his stand up career in Seattle, Seattle, WA in the mid 198 ...

); *2011: ''

Fire in Babylon ''Fire in Babylon'' is a 2010 British documentary film about the record-breaking West Indies cricket team of the 1970s and 1980s. Featuring stock footage and interviews with several former players and officials, including Colin Croft, Deryck Murra ...

'' (directed by

Stevan Riley Stevan Riley (born November 1975) is a British film director, producer, editor and writer. He was educated at the University of Oxford, where he studied Modern History. His films include '' Blue Blood'' (2006); ''Fire in Babylon'' (2010); ''Ever ...

); *2012: ''

Your Sister's Sister ''Your Sister's Sister'' is a 2011 American comedy-drama film written and directed by Lynn Shelton and starring Emily Blunt, Rosemarie DeWitt, and Mark Duplass. The film premiered on September 11, 2011, at the Toronto International Film Festiva ...

'' (directed by

Lynn Shelton Lynn Shelton (August 27, 1965 – May 16, 2020) was an American filmmaker, known for writing, directing, and producing such films as ''Humpday'' and ''Your Sister's Sister''. She was associated with the mumblecore genre. Early life Shelton was b ...

); *2013: ''Burn'' (directed by Tom Putnam and Brenna Sanchez); *2014: ''Under the Skin'' (directed by

Jonathan Glazer Jonathan Glazer (born 26 March 1965) is an English film director and screenwriter. Born in London, Glazer began his career in theatre before transitioning into film. Over the course of a career spanning nearly three decades, Glazer's directing ...

); *2015: '' Last Cab to Darwin'' (directed by

Jeremy Sims Jeremy Hartley Sims (born 10 January 1966) is an Australian actor and director. Career Jeremy Sims was born in Perth, Western Australia in 1966, and was educated at Wesley College 1977–83. His first appearance on the big screen was as 'boy on ...

); *2016: ''Demolition'' (directed by

Jean-Marc Vallée Jean-Marc Vallée (March 9, 1963December 25, 2021) was a Canadian filmmaker, film editor, and screenwriter. After studying film at the Université de Montréal, Vallée went on to make a number of critically acclaimed short films, including '' ...

References

External links

*
abc.net.au/atthemovies
ABC TV interview with Jack Sargeant
realtimearts.net
Real Time article on 2009 event

Interview with program director Jack Sargeant in Film Ink

Interview with program director Jack Sargeant in Real Time {{Authority control Film festivals established in 1997 Festivals in Perth, Western Australia Film festivals in Australia 1997 establishments in Australia

History

Opening night films

See also

References

External links