If your travel budget doesn't stretch to France, Spain or the States, you're going to have to cross Cannes, San Sebastián and Sundance film festivals off the list this year. Dang. The good news is, you don't have to travel to see some of the best films in the world right now, because the films (and some of the folks who made them) are travelling to you as part of Perth's Revelation Film Festival! Quick, prepare the guest bedroom! 

If you've never been before, make a vow to pop your Revelation cherry this year. It's one of the few times of the year when you can clap your eyeballs on A+ cinematic material that was otherwise probs never going to be screened in our city, a location where arthouse cinema options are already pretty limited to begin with (shout-outs to Luna for holding it down always though).

It's also one of the few times you can see a scary movie at midnight, as is the cult tradition, with a cinema-full of scary movie nerds who will share in your delight at every genre reference.

And finally, it's worth it for the incredible atmosphere and sense of community it creates - there's wine, there's people drinking wine who've watched 8 films in a row that day, there's awesome conversations with people drinking wine who've watched 8 films in a row that day, and a whole bunch of other highly enjoyable real world stuff that makes you wish Netflix had never been invented. 

This year's line up is the biggest yet - 143 films, including 14 world premieres and 42 Australian premieres! With a program that stacked, it can be an overwhelming task to sort the wheat from the chaff. Lucky for you, winnowing grain is one of our many talents here at CinePile! It involves a very fancy algorithm that's a combination of 1) Internet-trawling-and-trailer-watching 2) having a vague idea of the Pilerats reader demographic profile and 3) projecting our own tastes onto that profile. Our algorithm came up with 10 results we think you might enjoy, and we have documented these below for your reference.

Swiss Army Man

This Daniel Radcliffe and Paul Dano-starring film has already been copping heaps of buzz after screen at various film festivals. Basically described as "that movie where Harry Potter plays a farting corpse", early reviews have many already proclaiming it as their favourite film this year. If you're not sold on that plot synopsis (and to be honest, it is incredibly weird), the film's full premise is Dano's character discovers Radcliffe's corpse on the beach of an island he currently finds himself deserted on. On the verge of giving up, the two form a bond that will hopefully see Dano's character finding his way back to civilization. Farting and compass boners, amongst Radcliffe's corpse's many other special powers, ensue. - Troy

Thu 14, 8.45pm, SX (Freo), Sat 16, 9pm, Luna Leederville 

Demolition

I didn't rate Southpaw but since Jake Gyllenhaal's disturbingly amazing turn as a sociopathic videographer in the neo-noir drama Nightcrawler, I'm pretty much down to see whatever film the guy signs up for. Including Demolition - a dark comedy from director Jean-Marc Vallée (C.R.A.Z.Y., Dallas Buyers Club) - Gyllenhaal’s playing another complex role: a recently-widowed investment banker, who begins writing first complaint letters, then personal letters, to a vending machine company (as a weird kind of grief-coping mechanism). Vending machine company rep Karen (Australian actress Naomi Watts) jumps in, befriends Davis, and starts helping him “demolish” his old life. Demolition just had a run at Sydney Film Festival and holds the coveted position of Opening Night film at Revelation, job description: "be broad enough to appease different kinds of niche film fans but controversial enough to kick-off conversations at the afterparty". It sort of sounds like its going to be a mixture of Greenberg, Punch-Drunk Love and Fight Club - and if I'm in any way correct about those references I will be definitely using that line as my "in" at the after-party. – Dani 

Thur 7, 7pm Luna Leederville (Opening Night), Wed 13, 7pm Luna Leederville

The Banksy Job

But Pilerats, I already saw Exit Through The Gift Shop, re-posted heaps of Banksy art on my Insta and read all there is I need to know about Banksy - why do I need to watch another Banksy documentary? Fair question, but the trailer above definitely paints one hell of an interesting heist picture...picture. A riff on the (actually pretty great) film The Bank Job starring Jason Statham, it's about a rabble-rousing artist called AK47 stealing a huge Banksy piece from the middle of London, only have it stolen back. Another film already copping rave reviews, it promises to be a surreal blend of fact and fiction, something to be expected when you're dealing with larger than life characters like Banksy and the film's main protaganist/antagonist. - Troy

Sat 16, 7pm, Luna Leederville, Sun 17, 8.45pm SX 

Wacken (3D)

Every year, for three days in August, a sleepy farming village in the middle of the Northern German countryside becomes the epicenter of the metal universe. Almost 75,000 metal heads from around the globe invade the Wacken Open Air to pay homage to the greatest bands of the international metal scene. This documentary - in stereoscopic 3D - takes you to the heart of the mosh for Wacken’s 24th edition. There’s performances and interviews from the big boys (Henry Rollins, Alice Cooper, Rammstein, Motorhead), and the journey of young muso hopefuls is captured too, as well as the huge energy of the fans. If you are not one of those (a fan), the chance to see speccy live music performances in 3D is not one you should pass up. Plus, if Airheads, Anvil, This Is Spinal Tap, and that hectic Norwegian film about metalheads who burn down churches that I can't remember the name of have taught me anything, it's that movies about metal always rule. – Dani 

Friday, July 15, 9pm, Luna Leederville

Dude Bro Party Massacre III

There's a tonne of great horror programming at this year's Revelation Film Festival, including anthology film A Night Of Horror, another throwback horror film The Love Witch and Baskin, but the exploitation genre holds a special place in my heart and as such as I can't wait to see Dude Bro Party Massacre III. The story goes that all original VHS copies of DBPMIII have been destroyed except for one, converted straight from an old tape used to record it on late night TV. Taking the piss out of 80s horror like Friday The 13th and the hundreds of copycat films it inspired, it features a bunch of frat bros going into the woods for a party only to be confronted by the serial killer, Motherface. It looks ridiculous, way over the top, gory and hilarious, plus it features a cameo from Patton Oswalt, who instantly elevates anything he's in 400%. - Troy

Wed 13, 8.45pm, Luna Leederville, Sat 16, 10.30pm, Luna Leederville

High-Rise

Cronenberg’s awesome ’96 film Crash, about car-crash victims who get off on having sex at car crash sites, was based on a book by UK author JG Ballard, who is famous for his experimental writing style and his perverse dramas that have a hint of the sci-fi about them.  High-Rise, starring Tom Hiddleston (of Thor fame) and Sienna Miller, is also based on one of Ballard’s books (a supposedly “unfilmable” one) that was written 40 odd years ago. A futuristic, dystopian thriller about a doctor who lives in a London skyscraper on the Thames, the film’s narrative introduces us to several different characters living in the building - from the commoners to high society – with scenes playing out throughout the landscape of the building, which in itself becomes a sort of character. The overarching mood is one of anxiety, with the prospect of class warfare looming heavy, as civilized norms unravel and things descend into violence and chaos. High Rise has been touted as an “urban Lord Of the Flies”, and sounds like one the readers and thinkers will find a lot to sink their heads into. It’s apparently stunning to look at, too. – Dani 

Fri 8, 9pm, Luna Leederville, Wed 13, 8.45pm, SX, Sat 16, 11pm, Luna Leederville

Lewis Theroux: My Scientology Movie

It's Louis Theroux tackling one of the most hectic "religions" known to man. If that hasn't already sold you then me saying things here certainly ain't. - Troy

Sat 9, 9pm, Luna Leederville, Sat 16, 8.45pm, SX 

The Art of the Prank

'Culture jammer and media prankster’ – what a job title, right? It belongs to Joey Skaggs, a New York based artist who basically stages giant, considered media hoaxes for a living (his most notorious one was in 1976 when he had journalists believing he ran a legit ‘whorehouse for dogs’, where for $50 you could get your dog laid). This guy is referred to as ‘the arch-bishop of pranksterism’ and was doing his thing long before the juvenile pranks of Jackass or Punk’d came along. This documentary sees filmmaker Andrea Marini get a unique view into Skaggs’ unconventional mind, as he attempts to pull off one of the most demanding hoaxes of his career – using film festivals as his platform. Skaggs sounds like one of those compelling characters that a movie just had to be made about, someone who brings a bit of fun to the brevity of politics and journalism – he’s not as well known over here, but from an Australian standpoint, would imagine if you enjoy The Chaser or Shaun Micaleff’s antics, this one would be right up your alley.  – Dani 

Sun Jul 10, 2.30pm, SX, Mon Jul 11, 9pm, Luna Leederville, Sun Jul 17, 4.40pm, Luna Leederville 

Weiner

For the other documentary I'm real pumped to see I was gonna suggest Fresh Dressed - a look at the history of hip hop fashion, until I realised this little gem is showing and couldn't go passed it. Weiner is a behind the scenes look at disgraced congressman Anthony Weiner as he runs for New York mayor, just two years after resigning from Congress following on from a sexting scandal. Coming from the digital media industry and having some kind of understanding as to how #trending topics work and how quickly they can destroy a reputation, this promises a fascinating insight into a controversial figure that l can't wait to get stuck into. Like any good documentary, it would appear the documentary end up finding themselves smack bang in the middle of a second scandal, and I can't wait to see it. - Troy

Sat 9, 12.40pm, Luna Leederville, Sun 17, 1.15pm, SX 

Chemsex

'Chemsex' refers to a gay subcultural phenomenon in the UK, which has been documented for Vice by two (straight) filmmakers, William Fairman, 34, and Max Gogarty, 27. The documentary ventures deep into the heart of weekend long parties (that are being organised with increasing efficiency with apps like Grind'r) where everyone takes sexually disinhibiting drugs - such as crystal meth, GHB, GBL and mephedrone. The cocktail of these drugs causes people to take risks they probably wouldn’t normally, so there’s a lot of HIV-positive/unsafe sex happening, as well as risky sharing of needles – the after-effects of these parties have escalated to the point where its become a national health crisis and the media’s having a field day with it. This doco peels back the blinds on the loneliness, intimacy, addiction and vulnerability of ‘chemsex’, which as well as being directly correlated with rising HIV-related deaths, has created emotional rifts within the gay community. Chemsex sounds like a sad and confronting watch (it’s been referred to as ‘a horror story’ and ‘ugly’), however it also sounds completely worthwhile, something to open minds and spark discussion. Also interested to hear the score, by UK composer/producer Danny L Harle (whose had releases on the PC Music Collective - AG Cook, QT etc). – Dani 

Sun Jul 10, 8.45pm, Cinema Paradiso, Wed Jul 13, 6.45pm, Luna Leederville 

Revelation runs from July 7 – 17 at various locations throughout Perth and Fremantle, mostly Luna Leederville and Luna on SX. Browse the full film selection at Revelation's website. Head HERE to grab yourself tickets.

If you're working in the film industry yourself (or aspire to one day!), be sure to check out the conference aspect of the festival - RevCon, which sees screen practitioners and festival guests offering master classes and lectures on various aspects of the filmmaking craft, and Revelation Academic, where film academics present talks on film culture.

For your chance to win one of six double passes to the festival, courtesy of Revelation Film Festival, valid for any session* during the Festival, email dani@pilerats.com with the subject line 'No good movie is too long and no bad movie is short enough' and your full name and postal address. Competition closes 7/7/2016.

*with the exception of films showing in Cinema Four at Luna Leederville