Revelation started life in 1997 as an ‘underground’ event in the back room basement of the Greenwich Club, at the time Perth’s smoothest jazz and music venue. All works were screened purely on 16mm film and the festival also featured live music, poetry and guest presentations. Revelation was designed to showcase a range of unique and progressive short, feature, documentary, archival and animated works which were at the forefront of contemporary underground filmmaking, at the same time contextualising these works through a variety of curated archival programs highlighting pivotal points in independent filmmaking.
Rapidly outgrowing the intimate surrounds of the Greenwich Club, Revelation now spans venues across Perth and Fremantle and features some of the most acclaimed films from the international film festival scene and includes gallery and installation works, live performances, an academic conference and a unique seminar and masterclass series. Revelation’s market penetration is today at its most comprehensive ever, engaging new local, national and international audiences.
More than 500 films are submitted each year for selection from local and international filmmakers, and the event’s screen conference component is fast becoming a huge draw for the world’s filmmaking community.
Revelation was invited to present the public screening component of the Australian International Documentary Conference as part of the Perth International Arts Festival in 2000 and 2001 and since then has seen itself as a stand-alone event.
The festival’s screen conference is expected to become an even larger draw for Australian and international filmmakers.
Revelation is an official AACTA Awards Qualifying Film Festival
