Canada’s Oscar submission for Best International Feature Film!
Matthew Rankin weaves a whimsical, heartwarming tale of connection and cultural clash in a reimagined Canada where Persian and French are the official languages, but loneliness is the shared experience.
Set in Winnipeg, the film follows two parallel stories: young Nazgol and Hossein’s quest to recover a precious Iranian banknote for a classmate, and a fictionalized Matthew Rankin (played by Rankin himself), who quits his job in Montreal and returns home to Winnipeg to care for his mother. Along the way, he meets Massoud, a flustered tour guide navigating the city’s eccentric landmarks.
Winner of the inaugural Directors’ Fortnight audience award at Cannes, Universal Language is a gentle comedy with echoes of Abbas Kiarostami and Roy Andersson, filtered through Rankin’s distinct deadpan humour.