— Fantastic Fest from Sep. 19th to Sep. 26th — — San Seb from Sep. 22nd to Sep. 25th — — Busan from Oct. 4th to Oct. 8th — — MIA Rome from Oct. 14th to Oct. 18th — — Fantastic Fest from Sep. 19th to Sep. 26th — — San Seb from Sep. 22nd to Sep. 25th — — Busan from Oct. 4th to Oct. 8th — — MIA Rome from Oct. 14th to Oct. 18th — — Fantastic Fest from Sep. 19th to Sep. 26th — — San Seb from Sep. 22nd to Sep. 25th — — Busan from Oct. 4th to Oct. 8th — — MIA Rome from Oct. 14th to Oct. 18th — — Fantastic Fest from Sep. 19th to Sep. 26th — — San Seb from Sep. 22nd to Sep. 25th — — Busan from Oct. 4th to Oct. 8th — — MIA Rome from Oct. 14th to Oct. 18th —
Download line-up

UNIVERSAL LANGUAGE

Directed by
Matthew Rankin

Status World Premiere
Country Canada
Original Title Une Langue Universelle
Year 2024
Language Farsi . French
Genre . Comedy
Duration 89min
Distributor Oscilloscope Laboratories (US), Maison4tiers (Canada)
Status World Premiere
Country Canada
Original Title Une Langue Universelle
Year 2024
Language Farsi . French
Genre Comedy
Duration 89min
Distributor Oscilloscope Laboratories (US), Maison4tiers (Canada)
In a mysterious and surreal interzone somewhere between Tehran and Winnipeg, the lives of multiple characters interweave with each other in surprising and mysterious ways.

Gradeschoolers Negin and Nazgol find a sum of money frozen in the winter ice and try to claim it. Meanwhile, Massoud leads a group of increasingly-befuddled tourists through the monuments and historic sites of Winnipeg. Matthew quits his meaningless job in a Québecois government office and sets out upon an enigmatic journey to visit his mother.

Space, time and personal identities crossfade, interweave and echo into a surreal comedy of misdirection.

Director

Matthew Rankin was born in Winnipeg and studied history at McGill and Univerité Laval. He is the director of some forty documentary, fiction and animation films which have been presented at Sundance, SXSW, TIFF, Annecy, the Berlinale, the Dawson City International Short Film Festival and at Cannes Critics Week. His first feature, The Twentieth Century (2019), was awarded the 2020 FIPRESCI Prize at the Berlinale. He lives in Montréal.

Cast & crew

CAST

  • Rojina Esmaeili

  • Saba Vahedyousefi

  • Sobhan Javadi

  • Pirouz Nemati

  • Matthew Rankin

  • Mani Soleymanlou

PRODUCER

  • Sylvain Corbeil (The Nature of Love, Falcon Lake, It’s Only the End of the World, Felix and Meira)

Festivals and awards

  • DIRECTORS' FORTNIGHT 2024 - WINNER AUDIENCE AWARD
“The best movie at Cannes this year is an oddball Canadian comedy. Universal Language is a magnificent film.”
“A beguiling, surrealist ode to Persian cinema… Diorama-like compositions that will call to mind both Wes and Roy Anders(s)on... The world of Universal Language feels lived-in, and those lives feel consequential. It’s like nothing I’ve seen in Cannes this year.”
“Matthew Rankin channels the best of Iranian Cinema in absurdist Canadian comedy... Backdrops that recall the locations in Jacques Tati’s ‘Playtime... And yet, if Rankin counts Abbas Kiarostami among his influences, this project proves he’s ready for his “Close-Up.”
“One of the most exciting directors working today, with his unique visual style and penchant for challenging narrative conventions indicating a bright future as a filmmaker… A tremendously captivating comedy.”