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 list of Australian capital cities, capital city of Western Australia. It is the list of cities in Australia by population, fourth-most-populous city in Australia, with a population of over 2.3 million within Greater Perth . The ...

, 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 movie theater, cinemas or screening venues, usually annually and in a single city or region. Some film festivals show films outdoors or online. Films may be of recent ...

s in

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

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 Luna commonly refers to: * Earth's Moon, named "Luna" in Latin, Spanish and other languages * Luna (goddess) In Sabine and ancient Roman religion and myth, Luna is the divine embodiment of the Moon (Latin ''Lūna'' ). She is often presented as t ...

, Picabar, and Kulcha theatres. 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), 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 Pennsylvania, United States * Independentes (English: Independents), a Portuguese artist ...

and

documentary A documentary film (often described simply as a documentary) is a nonfiction Film, motion picture intended to "document reality, primarily for instruction, education or maintaining a Recorded history, historical record". The American author and ...

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 a film with a low running time. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) defines a short film as "an original motion picture that has a running time of not more than 40 minutes including all credits". Other film o ...

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 screen culture including film, television, videogames, digital culture and art. ACMI was established in 2002 and is based at Federation Square in Melbo ...

. 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 (appropriation), found footage from the fringes of popular consciousness as well as images from the mass media to undermine and transform the traditional doc ...

, ''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'', ''Wheedle's Groove'', ''Nude Study'', ''Pictures of Superheroes'' and cult movies 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 G ...

'', ''

Gimme Shelter "Gimme Shelter" is a song by the English rock band the Rolling Stones. Written by Jagger–Richards, it is the opening track of the band's 1969 album '' Let It Bleed''. The song covers the brutal realities of war, including murder, rape and f ...

'', and ''

Cigarette Girl Cigarette girls in Florida in 1956 Cigarette girl at the Bellmansro restaurant in Sweden, 1940 In Europe and the United States, a cigarette girl was an attractive young woman who sold or provided cigarettes from a tray held by a neck strap, ...

.'' 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 actors to present experiences of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a stage. The performers may communic ...

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 ki ...

or other on-going release and sales in Australia. It also works 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 James Thraves is a British film writer and director. He is known for many music videos and the feature film ''Treacle Jr.'' (2010), starring Aidan Gillen. Early life and education James Thraves began making early short experimental films in 198 ...

) *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 in ...

and Charlotte Zwerin) *2004: ''Reconstruction'' (directed by

Christoffer Boe Christoffer Boe (born 1974) is a Danish film director and screenwriter. His awards include the FIPRESCI Director of the Year at San Sebastián International Film Festival and the Caméra d'Or, Golden Camera at Cannes Film Festival in 2003. He is ...

) *2005: ''

Kontroll ''Kontroll'' is a 2003 Hungarian comedy–thriller film. Shown internationally, mainly in art house theatres, the film is set on a fictionalized version of the Budapest Metro system. "Kontroll" in Hungarian refers to the ticket inspectors check ...

'' (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 Student Academy Award-winning diploma film "Between Us" ( Mellem Os) in 2004. This film won 1 ...

) *2007: ''

Monkey Warfare ''Monkey Warfare'' is a 2006 Canadian Drama (film and television), 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 Awar ...

'' (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 62nd Berlin International Film Festival, Berlin International Film Festival and which ...

) *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 movement, free culture activist. She was the artist and often the writer of the comic strips ''Nina's Adventures'' and ''Fluff'', after which she worked ...

) *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, ''Good ...

'' (directed by

Jeff Stilson Jeff Stilson (born c. 1959) is an American stand-up comedian, writer and TV producer. Biography Stilson was born in Spokane, Washington. He began his stand up career in Seattle in the mid 1980s. As a stand up he has appeared on ''Late Night w ...

) *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 Murr ...

'' (directed by Stevan Riley) *2012: '' Your Sister's Sister'' (directed by

Lynn Shelton Lynn Shelton (August 27, 1965 – May 15, 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 ...

) *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 filmmaker. He began his career in theatre before transitioning into film, directing the features '' Sexy Beast'' (2000), ''Birth'' (2004), '' Under the Skin'' (2013), and '' The Zone of Inter ...

) *2015: '' Last Cab to Darwin'' (directed by Jeremy Sims) *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 '' ...

) *2017: '' Becoming Bond'' (directed by

Josh Greenbaum Josh Greenbaum is an American film director, screenwriter, and producer. He has won an MTV Movie Award, CINE Golden Eagle and Emmy Award. He directed the feature documentary '' The Short Game'', winner of the SXSW Audience Award, which was acquir ...

) *2018: '' The Breaker Upperers'' (directed by Madeleine Sami and Jackie van Beek) *2019: ''

Kursk Kursk (, ) is a types of inhabited localities in Russia, city and the administrative center of Kursk Oblast, Russia, located at the confluence of the Kur (Kursk Oblast), Kur, Tuskar, and Seym (river), Seym rivers. It has a population of Kursk ...

'' (directed by

Thomas Vinterberg Thomas Vinterberg (; born 19 May 1969) is a Danish film director who, along with Lars von Trier, co-founded the Dogme 95 movement in filmmaking, which established rules for simplifying movie production. He is best known for the films '' The Cele ...

) *2020: ''Firestarter'' (directed by Wayne Blair and Nel Minchin) *2021: ''

Freshman Year A freshman, fresher, first year, or colloquially frosh, is a person in the first year at an educational institution, usually a secondary school or at the college and university level, but also in other forms of post-secondary educational in ...

'' (directed by

Cooper Raiff Cooper Michael Raiff (born ) is an American filmmaker and actor. He has received praise for his films '' Shithouse'' (2020) and '' Cha Cha Real Smooth'' (2022). In August 2022, Raiff launched his production company Small Ideas. Early life A na ...

) *2022: ''

Sissy ''Sissy'' (derived from ''sister''), also ''sissy baby'', ''sissy boy'', ''sissy man'', ''sissy pants'', etc., is a pejorative term for a boy or man who does not demonstrate masculine traits, and shows possible signs of fragility. Generally, ''s ...

'' (directed by Hannah Barlow and Kane Senes) *2023: '' Devil's Peak'' (directed by Ben Young) *2024: '' Kid Snow'' (directed by Paul Goldman) *2025: '' U Are The Universe'' (directed by Pavlo Ostrikov)

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 Western Australia 1997 establishments in Australia

History

Opening night films

See also

References

External links