01
THE STORY
After a tragic loss, a detective returns to work, focusing all her energy on a major case.
"Revelation," tells the story of a grieving and flawed woman and her partner, who also has his own secrets. He struggles to reconcile his work as a police officer with his true identity, which cannot be openly revealed within the confines of the police force.
The film explores the complexities and contradictions of human nature and challenges the conventional cop movie narrative that centers around a criminal case, instead focusing on the emotional journey of the grieving mother as she returns to work.
The way Rachelle (Michelle Mazza) approaches the case is influenced by her own personal state of mind, and ultimately, the case proves to be just a small part of her own emotional journey.
02
THE INSPIRATION
Navigating a police story in the wake up "copaganda" and George Floyd protests.
When filmmaker Libe Barer was approached about the possibility of making a movie about a police officer, they initially had reservations. However, as they delved deeper into the subject matter with the creative team, they became intrigued by the idea of telling a cop story in the year 2023.
Throughout the history of film, the genre of cop stories has been a prominent feature, but in light of the 2020 George Floyd protests and the revelations about the systemic issues within the police force, the genre has taken on a new significance.
The concept of "Copaganda," in which media glorifies and distorts the role of police in society, was a topic of much discussion and the filmmaker questioned whether it was possible to tell police stories in a different way.
We wondered if it was necessary to completely eradicate the genre or if there was a way to portray cops as flawed individuals without glorifying their actions or always portraying them as victorious heroes.
In preparation for the project, the filmmaker spoke with Black Lives Matter activists to understand their perspective on Copaganda and how to subvert these tropes. They also had conversations with real-life police officers from Long Island to gain insight into their world and experiences.
03
THE MISSION
Entering into festival. Open to telling a bigger and longer story.
We have just recently completed "Revelation," and have submitted to a few film festivals. We are still dipping our toes into the festival world, and what exactly that means for our journey with this film.
We are very excited to see how our film will be received. One of our goals is to continue telling this story, possibly as a feature film or pilot for a TV series.
Our film was inspired by the real-life Gilgo Beach Murders (coincidentally recently solved), and how to incorporate both perspectives into our storytelling.We would love to deeper explore the relationship between our lead character, Rachelle, and her partner, Anthony, especially as he navigates his sexuality in a male cisgender-dominated field where trust is hard to come by.
Please feel free to contact us if you want to join the "Revelation" team or have feedback to help make our story stronger.