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Universal Language, directed by Matthew Rankin, has been selected by Canada to compete in the Best International Feature category at the upcoming Academy Awards, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
The film recently won the audience prize for the best film in the Directors' Fortnight section at the Cannes Film Festival. This movie, which is in Farsi and French language, is a tribute to Iranian cinema. The film is set in the Canadian cities of Montreal and Winnipeg, where Rankin imagines a world where Farsi has become a dominant language. The film is described as a mix of a diary, an absurd city symphony, and a reflection of confinement-era emotions. According to the synopsis, Universal Language explores the mysterious interzones where one person ends and the rest of the world begins, creating a dreamlike atmosphere of home, solitude, and our connections to others. As per The Hollywood Reporter, director Matthew Rankin expressed his esxcitement for the film and said, "We are amazed by this improbable selection and we will do our very best to represent Canada at the Oscars. Universal Language is an expression of very great collective joy between myself and my friends Pirouz Nemati, Ila Firouzabadi, Sylvain Corbeil and all the beautiful and hilarious people who created this strange, triangle-shaped, Irano-Winnipego-Quebecois brain which became our film, beh naame doosti (in the Name of Friendship)." The film's ensemble cast includes Rankin, Rojina Esmaeili, Saba Vahedyousefi, Sobhan Javadi, Pirouz Nemati, Mani Soleymanlou, Danielle Fichaud, Bahram Nabatian, Ila Firouzabadi, Hemela Pourafzal, and Dara Najmabadi. Universal Language will also have its North American premiere at the upcoming Toronto Film Festival. The film was directed by Rankin, based on a script he co-wrote with Pirouz Nemati and Ila Firouzabadi. Sylvain Corbeil produced the film under Metafilms, with domestic distribution by Maison 4:3 and international sales handled by Oscilloscope Laboratories. (ANI)
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