Our pick of the flicks at Revelation Film Festival 2025

The Revelation Perth International Film Festival is back! For its exciting 28th year, the festival once again brings to Perth audiences an exciting array of features, shorts, documentaries, and experimental wonders. DAVID MORGAN-BROWN takes a look at a couple of the films playing this year, including a locally made film that’s punk AF, a hilarious film about filmmaking, and a comedy-drama of cosmic proportions.

Skeleton Girls: A Kidnapped Society
7.5/10

It’s so encouraging to see a locally made (and self financed) film that’s this wild! Skeleton Girls is an assault on the senses, a totally punk movie in its style and story. A young woman on the run finds herself caught up with a number of underground societies, trying to find her place in these fringe societies (or at least somewhere in the world). An exciting and stimulating film, at times filled with vivid animation and motion graphics segments that further exemplifies the visually chaotic nature of this film and its references to mixed media in our overstimulated, screen-heavy culture.

Micro Budget
8/10

One of the funnier films about filmmaking, Micro Budget is set entirely within the one Airbnb mansion as director Terry (Patrick Noth, looking strikingly like Tim Robinson) is shooting his film. With the help of his heavily pregnant wife (Emilea Wilson). Terry may have his stupid moments, but it seems like each character has their moment to look like a complete fool with no understanding of how certain film production concepts work. Even the conclusion is a hugely amusing left turn, taking this lead character on a darker path than expected. There may not be a huge amount of likeable characters (except for the celebrity guest cameo!), but it’s hard to not like this movie with its relentless array of hilarious jokes and gags.

U Are the Universe
8.5/10

After Earth explodes, Ukrainian space trucker Andriy Melnyk (Volodymyr Kravchuk) believes he’s the last human left alive. Resigned to spending his final days drifting through the solar system with only his robot assistant for company, his fate takes an unexpected turn when he picks up a signal from a stranded French researcher, Catherine (Alexia Depicker). This sci-fi gem hooks you in with its intriguing premise, while its stunning visuals, retro aesthetic and deadpan humour—especially the banter between Andrei and his robot—hold you in its orbit.

Revelation Perth International Film Festival 2025 is screening at Luna Leederville, Luna on SX, and The Backlot from Wednesday, July 2 to Sunday, July 13, 2025. The full program is online at www.revelationfilmfest.org