Home Video: Vancouver International Film Fest Favourites and Where to Buy, Rent, or Stream them

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.


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.


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.


Ford v Ferrari / VIFF 2019

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.


Mads Mikkelsen / Another Round

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.

2014 Vancouver International Film Festival
2015 Vancouver International Film Festival
VIFF 2017
2020 VIFF Coverage Banner