Revelation Perth International Film Festival is now only two weeks away, returning from Wednesday, July 8 to Sunday, July 19 to screens at Luna Leederville, The Backlot, SAE Perth, Tribe Perth Kings Park, and the State Library of Western Australia, with tickets on sale now.
This year’s program is comprised of over 150 features and short films spanning documentaries, social justice stories, arthouse cinema and projects from local creatives. With opening night approaching, Festival Program Director Jack Sargeant let us know his top picks of the festival for 2026.
Bulk
Revelation favourite Ben Wheatley (A Field In England, High Rise, Free Fire, Kill List) returns to his low-budget roots in this sci-fi action film.
“A wild and mind-expanding science fiction movie that I enjoyed, just imagination and a sense of the possibilities of cinema.” – Jack Sargeant.
In Bulk, a scientist’s string theory experiment goes wrong when his brain explodes – think a mysterious house, alternate dimensions, multiverses and more.
Mockbuster
Screening in a double feature with The Land That Time Forgot, Mockbuster is a hilarious, unexpectedly tender documentary about chasing the dream through the absurd hustle of genre filmmaking.
“A fascinating documentary on no-budget filmmaking that is inspiring, funny and illuminating. If you’re interested in the production of films like Sharknado, this is for you. It follows the production of The Land That Time Forgot, and we’re screening them as a double bill.” – Jack Sargeant.
DIY filmmaking meets dinosaurs and disaster.
Hex
“A documentary about an all-woman black metal band. We love our music documentaries and we have several this year; there are some real treats there.” – Jack Sargeant.
Three Norwegian women who don’t know how to play music form a coven and scream their way to major music festivals in Hex.
The film follows the band over three years, where friendship and resistance unfold, and the importance of carving out a space for yourself in a normative world is brought to the fore.
Mineshaft: The Cruising Murders
“A documentary on the gay leather scene in New York in the seventies, a murder, and the production of the film Cruising, this is one of a number of LGBTQI+ films this year in an incredibly strong program, including Dean Francis’s Body Blow.” – Jack Sargeant.
Mineshaft: The Cruising Murders peels back the layers of controversy surrounding the making of Cruising, examines the New York leather scene and protests from the gay community against the film.
Emmy-winning director Jeffrey Schwarz (Vito, I Am Divine, Tab Hunter Confidential) brings his signature storytelling flair to a gripping chapter of queer history where true crime, moviemaking, and LGBTQ+ resistance collide.
Nova 78
“A live and backstage documentary with archive footage of William Burroughs, Patti Smith, Frank Zappa, Laurie Anderson, John Giorno, John Cage, Philip Glass… at the Nova conference in New York. Essential.” – Jack Sargeant
Nova 78 is a documentary comprised of never-before-seen footage of the Nova Convention, an event organised by Beat Generation writer William Burroughs attended by a massive lineup of underground, counter-culture and music luminaries.
The twentieth century’s most radical artists gather for live performances that premiere for the first time ever in Nova 78.
Rosebush Pruning
A wealthy American family’s sun-soaked façade begins to unravel in this savage satire of privilege, starring Callum Turner, Riley Keough, Jamie Bell, Lukas Gage, Elena Anaya, Tracy Letts, Elle Fanning and Pamela Anderson.
“The kind of feature drama I really enjoy. It reminded me of Dogtooth in a way, that focus on middle-class life slowly falling apart.” – Jack Sargeant
When an outsider intrudes on the affluent family in Catalonia, buried tensions come to the surface and blood ties are severed in an absurdly funny feature.
Penny Lane is Dead
Strap in and get ready to discover the punk-horror debut that heralds an exhilarating new voice in Australian cinema.
“This is such a great horror thriller, plus a testimony to homegrown talent.” – Jack Sargeant
Writer-director Mia Kate Russell blends black humour and bloody horror with a distinctly Aussie twist in her debut feature, pulling from her years of experience in special effects makeup on films like Nitram and Better Man. A non-stop ride of satirical fun.
Mum, I’m Alien Pregnant
This is the new body horror phenomenon that made stomachs turn at Sundance, in which a hentai-loving slacker’s strange encounter spirals into something grotesque.
“I’m always a fan of body horror. This New Zealand body horror-cum-comedy balances all the elements pretty much perfectly.” – Jack Sargeant
In Mum, I’m Alien Pregnant, Mary discovers she carries a parasite that devours her from the inside out, the film perfectly balanced with gross-out moments and a strong showing of Kiwi comedy, while holding no restraint on the visuals.
Trasharama-agogo
Established in 1997 and hosted by Dick Dale, Trash-o-rama is the undisputed nastiest film program in Australia, and is set to make the trip west this year.
Revelation Film Festival welcomes audiences to Trasharama-agogo, a short film program filled with horror and laugh-out-loud shorts from across the globe, hosted by Dick Dale himself.
“We’ve never had Dick Dale as a guest, and he’s such an important figure in Australian no-budget and home-produced cult cinema, so having his Trasharama-agogo session in town will be a real joy.” – Jack Sargeant.
