It's good news for lovers of WA Film. Revelation Film Festival have just released a WA Made section of their streaming platform REVonDEMAND, showcasing locally made films you can’t see anywhere else.
REVonDEMAND was launched in 2015 and is home to over 200 feature films, documentaries and short films, all of which have appeared as part of the Revelation Film Festival at some stage.
Without the budget for longer, feature-length productions, WA churns out a lot of short films each year, which is why WA Made is such an important platform. WA Made gives independent films that would otherwise be lost the chance to be seen and enjoyed by audiences both in Australia and around the world. Short films, including award winners and Oscar nominees, are often left without a platform, meaning that many of these gems slip between the cracks.
Festival Director Richard Soweda emphasised:
“What’s often sad is the number of fabulous films over the years that have simply vanished from any form of public view. We hope something like this as part of REVonDEMAND can bring these old, new or lost works to local, national and international audiences and demonstrate the great diversity of WA filmmaking talent and traditions.”
The WA Made section of Rev on Demand currently features 50 WA films, all available for rent or purchase, with many of the short films streaming for free through Vimeo.
Working closely with film distributors, Revelations expects to get access to films that have gone straight to streaming, having skipped the public release under current COVID-19 restrictions. For Richard, it’s all a labour of love:
"Developing REVonDEMAND over the last five years has been enormously enjoyable and enabled us to stay in direct with contact with producers, directors, sales agents and screen artists around the globe.”
Revelation 2020 has been postponed to September 24 – October 4 this year, with the program still to be finalised nearer the date. While we wait, check out some of the latest additions to REVonDEMAND:
RocKabul
Local WA Producer of the Year (2017) Brooke Silcox and director Travis Beard offer a window into Afghanistan’s only heavy metal band, a style of music considered illegal in Afghanistan.
Blue Orchids
Johan Grimonprez's frightening documentary on the international arms trade follows the stories of Chris Hedges, former New York Times war correspondent, and Riccardo Privitera, arms and equipment dealer for now-defunct Talisman Europe Ltd.
The Take
Avi Lewis and Naomi Klein's inspiring "occupy" film, The Take, takes place in suburban Buenos Aires. Against a backdrop of Argentine’s economic collapse in 2001, the prosperous middle class finds itself in a ghost town of abandoned factories and mass employment.
You can access the portal here: https://www.revelationfilmfest.org/film-rev-on-demand
If you have a film you would like to submit to WA Made, please send it to: admin@revelationfilmfest.org