The 2021 Vancouver Film Festival is on now, and this is my sixth time covering it. Every year, there is a wide array of films to be seen, but one or two stand out. So this week in Home Video, here are five favourite films from past VIFFs!

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Pulp: a Film About Life, Death & Supermarkets (2014)

Seen at the 2014 film festival, this documentary about the final Pulp concert is a fun look at the band’s impact on music and Sheffield, and it also happens to be a great concert movie. Whether you’re a fan of the band or not, you should definitely check this one out.

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The Lobster (2015)

Seen at the 2015 film festival, The Lobster is an absurd, surreal, and scathing look at romance. It is brutal, challenging, weird, and hilarious and has a ton for you to unpack about how we view and deal with attraction and the lengths we’ll go to for it.

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Columbus (2017)

Seen at the 2017 festival, Columbus was not only my favourite film of the festival but my favourite film of the entire year. A meditation on grief and love and forming friendships under unlikely circumstances. Written with empathy and wonderfully soft-spoken in its execution, this movie reaches into my soul and dredges up emotions so potent that I have a hard time watching it.

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Ford v Ferrari (2019)

Seen at the 2019 festival, Ford v Ferrari is actually my second favourite film from that festival, after Portrait of a Lady on Fire, but this list needs a pick me up, and so here it is. Ford v Ferrari has everything, including but not limited to two compelling lead performances, an excellent supporting cast, and thrilling car races.

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Another Round (2020)

Seen at the 2020 festival, this is another one that went on to be my favourite film of the year, with a career highlight performance from Mads Mikkelsen, the story of four friends who decide to be slightly drunk to see if it leads to a better life. The results are poignant, heartbreaking, and affirming all at once.