Following their recent first look announcement, Perth’s celebration of all things cinematic wonderful, interesting and progressive, have revealed their full line-up for the festival which kicks off on July 12 with the Australian premiere of Devil’s Peak by local director Ben Young (love dogs).
A total of 17 documentaries, 16 feature films, a locally produced web series (love me lex), the annual Industry Revelation industry talk/workshop program, a free family-friendly animation showcase, over 80 short films and a number of rich retrospectives, Rev ’23 promises to be one of best to date.
NEW MOVIES
Devil’s Peak – ozark meets winter bone in this American crime drama starring Billy Bob Thornton, Robin Wright, Jackie Earle Haley and Hopper Penn, also starring local actors Emma Booth and Harrison Gilbertson, it is produced by See Pictures (Breath) and directed by West Australian Ben Young.
The Integrity of Joseph Chambers – Highly anticipated follow-up collaboration between director Robert Machoian and producer/star Clayne Crawford (The murder of two lovers), it’s another examination of masculinity in crisis, also featuring Jordana Brewster and Jeffrey Dean Morgan.
Unidentified objects – The American winner of several independent awards about a few eccentrics who hit the road and meet various social outcasts, could be the surprise package of the festival.
Mammal [above] – Romanian cult biography premiering at the Berlinale, also exploring masculinity in crisis, but this time through a surrealist lens.
How to blow up a pipeline – Co-written and starring Ariela Barer, along with Lukas Gage and Sasha Lane, this American environmental thriller is exactly what it says on the box, with added character development.
An Untitled, Perfectly Legal Coming of Age Parody Movie – Original title The People’s Prankster, which upset our friends at Warner Bros., resulting in the film being pulled from its second screening at the Toronto International Film Festival. Vera Drew’s post-modern story of a transitioning stand-up comedian is an essential Rev experience.
riceboy sleeps – Canada’s beloved festival, set in the 90s, about a young child and his determined Korean immigrant single mother.
I like movies – How can you resist with such a title? Another nostalgic Canadian piece, this one set in the 2000s, about a movie-obsessed teenager who gets a job at a video store; remember those, the most desirable job for a teenager!
Holy shit! – Speaking of irresistible titles, this horror comes from Germany, cousin of ours Kennyabout an architect who wakes up in a portaloo.
Enter Mycelium – Dystopian micro-budget psychological drama from Austria, which marks an auspicious debut from Daniel Limmer.
ShinUltraman – The manga comes to life in this superhero movie from the team behind shin godzilla.
Bolan’s Shoes – Bittersweet British comedy inspired by 70s culture and more specifically T-Rex and glam rock mania. Features the ubiquitous Timothy Spall.
Frank and Frank – Second feature by Albany writer/director Adam Morris (Edward and Isabella), a bromance starring Myles Pollard and Trevor Jamieson, filmed on location in Albany and Mt Barker, WA.
RETROSPECTIVES
manic cop – 1988 cult crime horror, directed by William Lustig, written by Larry Cohen, starring Tom Atkins, Bruce Campbell and Richard Roundtree.
Merry Christmas: Mr. Lawrence – David Bowie and Ryuichi Sakamoto, recently deceased cult figures of the muso, appear alongside Tom Conti, Takeshi Kitano and Australian Jack Thompson in this 1983 war drama shot in New Zealand.
The New Americans – 7(!!) hour documentary from 2003, a prophetic time capsule if you will, “about a diverse group of immigrants and refugees who leave their homes and families to learn what it means to be new Americans”.
Show Me the Magic: The Adventures of Don McAlpine – 2013 documentary by Cathy Henkel about one of Australia’s great filmmakers. Produced in 2013, screening coinciding with a Henkel masterclass.
The Mummy – This 1959 classic from Hammer Studios will be screened at the WA Museum Boola Bardip, to align with their Discovering Ancient Egypt exhibition.
DOCUMENTARIES
Manifest – Timely found footage documentary using videos uploaded by Russian teenagers on social media platforms.
Country – There is no English word for Dùthchas, as one of the subjects of this Scottish documentary tells us. However, there is a lot of heart in this nostalgic portrait of the community and culture of the late 1960s and 1970s on Berneray Island.
human body tissue – Undoubtedly a favorite of Revelation programmer Jack Sargeant, this documentary explores five Parisian hospitals, “which literally opens the human body to cinema and offers an examination of the human body as an extraordinary landscape that is also supernatural and harrowing”.
Werner Herzog Radical Dreamer – He ate his shoe, made cult classics like fitzcarraldocast famed madman Klaus Kinski in some of his best movies, directed classic documentaries himself, and now the lens is on the filmmaker/actor/dreamer, with commentary from some of the world’s greatest in cinema .
Smoke Sauna Brotherhood – Estonian documentary that artfully records women sharing their innermost thoughts and experiences. Premiere at Sundance.
IX XI – Acclaimed author Sean Wilsey will guest star on Revelation, presenting the world premiere of his 9/11 documentary.
The space race – National Geographic documentary on the experiences of the first black astronauts.
Citizen detective – Premiering at SXSW, this American documentary blurs the line between fact and fiction by following a real-life crime podcaster in Appalachia.
Lee Fields: faithful man – Musical docos are always a highlight of Rev, and this portrayal of Little JB and his influence on American soul music will have you tapping your feet with delight.
Little Richard: I Am Everything – Likewise, this moving documentary about Richard Wayne Penniman and his ambiguous life as an artist and influence on modern music, is not to be missed.
What you couldn’t visualize – Intimate portrait of the short-lived British post-punk band 4AD Rema-Rema
Nam June Paik: Moon is the oldest television – Portrait of the pioneering Korean artist of the 20th century, who coined the term “electronic highway”. Created at Sundance and narrated by Steven Yeun.
Circus of Scars – Jim Rose and the rest of the weird carnies who came out of the 90s American grunge rock scene.
Fragments of paradise – Premiering in Venice and Telluride and featuring interviews with Jim Jarmusch, John Waters and Martin Scorsese, KD Davison’s film follows Jonas Mekas, the godfather of avant-garde cinema.
EXPERIMENTAL
Hello Dankness – US-based Australian artist collective Soda_Jerk (including 2018 black comedy with subtext, Without fear played on the festival circuit and in galleries for several years) returns with this damnation of Trump’s America, using pirated film samples, lending popular culture something meaningful. Soda_Jerk films are not made available to the public outside of festivals and art gallery exhibitions, so don’t miss this one, Perth, especially as the artists will accompany the screening.
Celestial Resentments – Another Jack Sargent favourite, this experimental feature is courtesy of New York underground filmmaker and musician Carey Burtt.
Sunlight: Yes – a 50-minute local documentary by writer/filmmaker/academic Kenta McGrath and director Joseph London, exploring Washington-based bio-artists Symbiotica’s “Sunlight, Soil & Shit (De)Cycle” – Distinction Award in the Artificial Intelligence and Art of Life category of Prix Ars Electronica 2023 – exhibition that took place in Fremantle in February 2022.
Paco – Tim Carlier’s feature debut is an Australian meta-comedy odyssey, “in which a sound engineer sets off in search of his most prized possession, his radio microphone”.
The full program of the Revelation Perth International Film Festival 2023 is online at www.revelationfilmfest.org