View All Posts By Author: Ian Merkel

My favorite section at VIFF each year has always been Contemporary World Cinema  Often a  small independent film in this section becomes one of the gems of the festival. Preparation for deciding what to see requires much research: reading up on the films, their reviews on various sites, then the difficulty of scheduling conflicts and finally pacing oneself for 5 films a day.  This year under Covid with just over

DOCUMENTARIES FROM AROUND THE WORLD         David House: Vancouver Foreign Film Society     I am a lover of many different genres of film and the Vancouver International Film Festival has always happily filled my many varied interests, with dramas and comedies from around the world, horror and sci-fi, experimental films, animation and short film programs. However another big part of the festival program is documentaries. Usually at

  Merkel – Anatomy of a Crisis (Die Getriebenen) Powerful and  fast paced this film will hold your attention with superb acting and characterizations. A few times I had to remember that these were actors! I had to watch this film as my first review. I knew that Merkel (no relation by the way) was an example to the more liberal European Union members in opening Germany’s borders to the

Here We Are (Hine Anachnu) This drama is a touching tale of fatherly love that shouldn’t be missed at VIFF 2020. David House – Vancouver Foreign Film Society   Aharon is divorced and has stopped working to devote himself to being the full time caregiver for his autistic son Uri. No longer a child, Uri is entering adulthood, and his mother thinks that it’s time to consider whether Yuri would

Comparative Review “Buddha in Africa” and “The Great Green Wall” Both films screened at the 2019 Vancouver International Film Festival. My review as an ex South African living in Vancouver and returning to my land of birth frequently is based primarily on a political commentary  rather than of the films themselves.   Both are strong documentaries with many unanswered questions for viewers on why Africa struggles to survive? A continent that is