JIFF: My Father's Secrets

“Tackling the most serious issues with lightness and humour, following the example of Art Spiegelman’s Maus.” - Variety

In 1960s Belgium, Michel and his brother Charly live a happy childhood in their Jewish family. Their father, silent and discreet, reveals nothing of his past.  The two brothers imagine him as a great adventurer or treasure hunter…. but what is he hiding? 

Based on the autobiographical novel by Israeli author and cartoonist Michel Kichka, My Father’s Secrets is an intimate, funny and thought-provoking animated documentary that focuses on a family’s journey to reconciliation. Michel’s father Henri (voiced by Elliott Gould) was the sole survivor of his family decimated by the Holocaust. At 20 years old, Henri returned to his native Belgium, marrying and fathering four children.  This is the story of Michel’s family, who must try to understand their father’s mysterious past and forge their own future.  

Rating

E

Language

English

Cast

Elliott Gould

Director

Véra Belmont