This is your third year as Revelation Artistic Director, what changes for you each year as you go into a new one?
I'm always thinking about new things, looking for new thrills, you know? Each year I want to find something unique that reflects this. So I try and start each year with a blank slate and see what's out there and consider what I am thinking about and go from there.

Were there specific ambitions for this year’s festival?
The ambitions are the same as ever - to find good, interesting films and share them. To get people to watch films and participate in film culture, to stimulate people - whether to make them happy, angry, whatever.

How would you describe the program itself across the board?
It's diverse. There's everything from the late night horror movies, a handful of thrillers, several comedies, melodramas, coming-of-age films, two animated features, political documentaries, music documentaries, films about filmmaking, films about people, newly unearthed movies and so on. So, most people can find something there, you know? If the films share something it's an attitude, these are all good films, made by good filmmakers who are passionate about their work, regardless of budgets.

Are there any gems that you are truly proud to have gotten hold of?
One Hundred Mornings is a good indie film; it's about the immediate events following the collapse of civilization. It's a character-driven, intense, narrative movie that works really well, creating a sense of apocalypse without ever resorting to cliché. Snow And Ashes is a really powerful drama, too, about journalists in a war zone. Again, a character driven drama.

In terms of documentaries, The Family Jams is pretty good and a real find; as is Disco & Atomic War, about the effect of television from the West in Tallinn in the ’80s, of course Estonia was behind the Iron Curtain, so the effects had large cultural ramifications.

In terms of special events, I am also really pleased with the Kuchar documentary, though that's not a premiere or anything, I just find it utterly inspirational.

What about the workshops and talks – what are the highlights?
I think the Jon Reiss workshop is a real opportunity for both established filmmakers and those with ambitions to make films. He's done it across the world, and it's a really rare opportunity to actually get access to somebody like Jon. The Jim Morton lecture on Incredibly Strange Film will be a lot of fun, and people will come away stimulated and excited by the taste of weird, psycho-tronic cinema he'll give them.

Where do you feel Rev is now placed in the scheme of things on the Australian filmic calendar?
I think people look at Rev as a festival that screens edgy and unusual movies - whether from the underground, the indie world or 'world cinema' - and I think people respect it for that. I think, internationally, the festival's reputation is growing for the same reasons. In terms of the Australian film calendar, people come and enjoy it, which is good, and people look at the program and hopefully are inspired by it.

Do you think the people of Perth embrace it as much as they should?
I think so. Every year the same faces are there night after night watching movies, and, crucially, every year there are more new faces. To me that's a great feeling; meeting old friends and making new ones. We've started RevRelations this year, a membership scheme, and the plan is to be able to interact throughout the year with the local community.

What do you hope that cinema-goers will take from this year’s Rev?
I'd like to think people saw some films they may not see otherwise. If people can wake up the day after the festival ends and say to themselves, ‘I've never seen something like that before, and it affected me’, I'll be happy.

For full programme details, head to www.revelationfilmfest.org.