HolyDays stars Judy Davis, Elijah Tamati, Miriam Margolyes and Jacki Weaver – photo courtesy of Kismet
A heartwarming road trip through 1970s New Zealand, an acclaimed international cast and a story rich in humanity combine in Holy Days, one of the standout Australian premieres at the 2026 Revelation Perth International Film Festival.
Directed by South African-born filmmaker Natt Bolt, Holy Days is described as a rare feel-good cinematic experience, blending heartfelt storytelling, eccentric humour and breathtaking New Zealand scenery into a film designed to be shared with an audience.
Featuring screen favourites Miriam Margolyes, Judy Davis and Jacki Weaver, the film is based on the novel by celebrated New Zealand author Joy Cowley, whose encouragement gave Bolt the confidence to turn her story into his first feature film.
Natt Bolt first met Cowley after adapting her acclaimed short story The Silk into a short film, and the pair quickly formed a close friendship.
“Joy became like my surrogate mum and my son’s surrogate grandma,” she said.
“When I said maybe I should make a feature of one of her novels, she told me Holy Days was the one.
“If she was going to trust me with it and she thought I could do it, then I guess I had to step up. It was a crazy first film.”
While staying true to the spirit of Cowley’s novel, Natt Bold also wanted the adaptation to better reflect modern New Zealand.
“The book didn’t have a diverse set of characters,” he said. “Based on who I am, how I see the world and where we’re at now, I wanted it to be representative of the true world around us.”
Working alongside Māori producer Tainui, Bolt reimagined one of the central characters as Māori, a decision he believes added greater emotional depth to the story.
“He told me he’d always imagined Brian was Māori, and suddenly everything just clicked,” Bolt said.
“It meant he wasn’t simply travelling to see snow or searching for his mum – he was also journeying to his ancestral mountain. It brought a deeper sense of belonging and identity to the film.”
As a New Zealand-Canadian co-production, Holy Days embraces Indigenous perspectives while delivering a universally relatable story about family, friendship and finding where you belong.
The film forms part of this year’s Revelation Perth International Film Festival, which runs until July 19 across Luna Leederville, The Backlot, SAE Perth, Tribe Perth Kings Park and the State Library of Western Australia.
The festival features more than 50 feature films and documentaries and almost 100 short films, showcasing everything from arthouse cinema and music documentaries to family animation and thought-provoking stories from around the world.
Holy Days screening times
Wednesday, July 15 – 11am
Sunday, July 19 – 3.15pm
Both screenings will be held at Luna Leederville.
For festival information and tickets, visit the Revelation Perth International Film Festival website.
A podcast of the interview will be available from July 24 at the Have a Go Cafe Podcast