The Revelation Perth International Film Festival opens tonight (July 7) at the Luna Leederville. The 19th Revelation will be launched with a dazzling light show projected on the Luna’s Oxford Street façade at 6pm.
The festival has grown immensely over the last two decades and now includes over 100 films, special guests, an academic conference and other unique events such as Revel-8, an animation showcase, a mini Iranian film festival, WA’s Get Your Shorts On!, The Indigenous Community Stories showcase, Magnolia’s Revelation Special and the WA Screen Awards. This year’s program is, as always, crammed with diversity and appeal. Serious Jim Henson fans will be spoilt for choice with three documentaries: Jim Henson-In Performance, Jim Henson-His Sesame Street Story and Jim Henson-Behind The Seams; two Henson features LABYRINTH (1986) and THE DARK CRYSTAL (1982), as well as two free kids’ screenings, Jim Henson’s Tales from Muppetland and Muppet Musical Moments.
There is also plenty of documentary goodness to feed your inner factualist and/or fabulist. The documentary WEINER won the Grand Jury Documentary Prize winner at this year’s Sundance Film Festival and offers a fascinating, edge-of-the seat, behind-the-scenes view of disgraced Congressman Anthony Weiner. THE LAND OF THE ENLIGHTENED is stunningly photographed in 16mm and follows a group of Afghan children and teenagers in the war torn country as American soldiers wait in a remote base and long for home. FURSONAS documents the world of furry fandom, looking at individuals who dress up and role-play in full-body anthropomorphic animal costumes. For those wanting to explore the controversial, there is MAPPLETHORPE: LOOK AT THE PICTURES and LOUIS THEROUX: MY SCIENTOLOGY MOVIE to provide gripping viewing.
Horror fans can look forward to Sydney’s A NIGHT OF HORROR the anthology horror feature film. Eight directors give us eight different takes on this dark and blood-spattered genre. PIKADERO combines drama and deadpan comedy and explores the relationship between two twenty-somethings, the ever stoic Gorka (Joseba Usabiaga) and art student Ane (Barbara Goenaga). THE LOVE WITCH is a visually stunning comic-melodrama-thriller from Anna Billerand and tells the tale of beautiful young witch Elaine, who is searching for true love. Also on the program is the highly anticipated Ben Wheatley feature HIGH RISE based on JG Ballard’s satirical British science fiction novel. And the gloriously strange SWISS ARMY MAN, a buddy movie between shipwrecked Hank (Paul Dano) and the washed up corpse of Manny (Daniel Radcliffe).
There is something for everyone in this wide-ranging selection of filmic delights. The Revelation movies can be sought out at Cinema Paradiso in Northbridge and the Luna on SX in Fremantle as well as the Luna Leederville on Oxford Street. It runs from July 7th-17th. The full program can be downloaded here.
