Rev Fest is back! Billed as a “cracking 11-day celebration of cinema, showcasing over 200 international films. With hundreds of submissions from the four corners of the globe”, The Revelation Perth International Film Festival is a chance for WA Cinephiles to see both underrated classics and experimental new projects in Independent Cinema.

The lineup this year is stacked, with a few particular stand-outs we’re looking forward to:

Transcending Dimensions (5th July)

Check out this premise: A monk named Rosuke has gone missing. His lover Nonoka brings the assassin Shinno to a religious facility in search of Rosuke. There, they meet a sorcerer called Ajari. Meanwhile, Rosuke is on a spaceship heading to the unknown planet named Kelman. There, he meets a strange old man. A battle of sorcery between Rosuke, Shinno, and Ajari begins.

If that bonkers plot line hasn’t sold you on seeing this film, we don’t know what will. From the bizarre mind of Japanese auteur director/screenwriter Toshiaki Toyoda (Pornostar, Blue Spring, 9 Souls), Transcending Dimensions feels right at home at Rev, as the cult filmmaker’s signature blend of surreal, inventive imagery and vibrant soundtrack seems to be present in his latest, genre-defying film. It screens one night only at Luna Leederville on the 5th of July.

PLACES AND LIVES: SHORT DOC (4th July)

We’ll be heading along to catch Rev’s first Friday collection of short documentaries. This quartet of evocative stories seem hand-picked with an interest in the essence of both place and object. Emphasising the Human stories which come to inhabit the material, “Places and Lives” will be a 77-minute experience of looking more closely at the world around us. Notably, Verge Collection is the work of some young Fremantle talent, and investigates the uniquely Australian, soon-to-be phased-out and storied tradition of curbside collection.

EDDINGTON (5th & 12th July)

And then, the next day, I’m going to be at Luna Leederville at 8:30, on the dot, to catch Eddington, Ari Aster’s (Hereditary, Midsommar, Beau is Afraid) newest work of psychological dissassembly. Set during the height of COVID, and pitting Joaquin Phoenix against Pedro Pascal, I’ve got a good-bad feeling about how Eddington is going to represent the madness of our recent history. Hopefully, Aster can get on top of the zeitgeist and accurately articulate how it feels to be alive in the increasingly tumultous 21st century.

ANGEL’S EGG (4th, 9th, 11th July)

We’re also going to check out the 40th Anniversary re-screening of Angel’s Egg, an impressive Japanese Animated film from 1985. It looks surreal, sombre, and mystically gothic. This cult classic can’t be missed on the big screen, and we’re excited to indulge in the strangeness.

Aside from our picks above, here are some quick thoughts by Festival Program Director Jack Sargeant about other key highlights of the season:

Lesbian Space Princess - "I think that this will be great with a crowd, to me it’s a real movie to see at the cinema"

Skeleton Girls: A Kidnapped Society - "it's exciting to see a film like this being produced in WA"

Pavements - "this is a pretty unique film, very unexpected, I wonder what an audience will make of it."

Alice in the Cities - "the early Wim Wenders' films were a huge part of my youth, I love this, it will be great to see again on the big screen"

A Grand Mockery - "to make an entire feature on super 8 is remarkable, I've watched this twice on a small screen, I'm looking forward to watching it projected on a big screen"

Stelarc Suspending Disbelief - "I think a documentary that opens up the world of an artist is always fascinating, I always enjoy programming art and music documentaries, it's impossible to pick a favorite...."

Pater Noster - "a cult film in every sense of the word"

Scarlet Blue - "This feels like a discovery, One of the selection committee drew my attention to it, I love that moment of watching films people submit and wondering what they’ll be.”

For the full list of Rev’s Catalogue, follow this link!

The Revelation Perth International Film Festival 2025 season runs from 2nd to 13th July. See you there!