Universal Language
Matthew Rankin | Canada | 2024 | 89m
Post-screening virtual Q&A with Mathew Rankin and Anthony Kinik.
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.
Matthew Rankin is a Winnipeg-born filmmaker and experimental animator, now based in Montreal. He began his career in the early 2000s, creating short films that blend animation with live-action, drawing heavily from the influence of Guy Maddin. He gained international recognition with his debut feature, The Twentieth Century, which won three Canadian Screen Awards. His latest film, Universal Language (2023), premiered in the Directors’ Fortnight at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival.
This film has been selected as Canada’s submission for Best International Feature Film at the 97th Academy Awards.
Presented with local short film:
Blue Christmas
Amber Lee Williams | Canada | 2024 | 30s
Blue Christmas is a cyanotype stop-motion short created with family photographs, commissioned for the 2024 MNFF Film Fest. Known for her work with photographic media, especially Polaroid photo transfer, Williams explores themes of grief, memory, and loss in this brief yet evocative piece.
Based in St. Catharines, she holds a BA in Visual Arts from Brock University and an MFA from the University of Waterloo.
Address: 250 St. Paul Street, St. Catharines, L2R 3M2, Canada
Online ticket sales close one day in advance of the screening. Tickets will be available at the door or at firstontariopac.ca.
