Universal Language is Canada’s official submission in the Oscar race for Best International Feature. The announcement came today via a virtual press conference held by Telefilm Canada.
Directed by Matthew Rankin, who wrote the film with Pirouz Nemati and Ila Firouzabadi, Universal Language is produced by Metafilms’ Sylvain Corbeil, who also produced last year’s submission Rojek. The film has captivated audiences since its critically acclaimed premiere at the Cannes Film Festival this year. Universal Language, told in a mix of Persian and French, tells a unique turkey-laden story of a Persian community amidst the concrete jungle of snowy Winnipeg.
“This year’s film submissions brilliantly showcase the exceptional talent that makes Canada shine. Universal Language by director Matthew Rankin has been selected by a jury of industry peers to represent Canada in the race for the Oscar for Best International Feature Film,” said Julie Roy, Executive Director and CEO of Telefilm Canada. “This film is emblematic of our national cinematography: with the success it has enjoyed since its launch at Cannes, no matter what the language, it reaches audiences here and abroad.”
Roy noted that Universal Language was selected as the official submission from a pool of 26 films put forward for consideration. She cited that the pan-Canadian committee arrived at the selection based upon artistic merit and international competitiveness. Telefilm Canada chairs the committee but does not have a vote.
“We are amazed by this improbable selection and we will do our very best to represent Canada at the Oscars,” added director Rankin. “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-Québécois brain which became our film, beh naamé doosti (in the Name of Friendship).”
Universal Language premiered at Directors’ Fortnight sidebar of this year’s Cannes Film Festival where it won the inaugural audience award. “He shoots Winnipeg like it’s an apocalyptic hell-hole and yet it’s weirdly inviting and community-like,” That Shelf’s Jason Gorber said at Cannes. (Watch his review here.) The film recently picked up the Horizons award at the Melbourne International Film Festival. Universal Language has its North American premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival in September, the first submission in several years to use the home field advantage of TIFF heading into award season. The film also marks something of a strong showing for Winnipeg film with Rumours, directed by Guy Maddin, Evan Johnson, and Galen Johnson among the more high profile Canadian works this year.
Rankin previously directed the acclaimed oddity The Twentieth Century, which brought the same distinctly Canadian vision honed on the Winnipeg film scene, Heritage Minutes, and elements from the dark side of creative genius that audiences can see in Universal Language. The Twentieth Century won Best Canadian First Feature at TIFF 2019 and won three Canadian Screen Awards in addition to scoring nominations for Best Picture and Best Director.
Universal Language will be distributed in Canada by Maison 4:3 and levelFILM with a theatrical rollout beginning Sept. 20. International sales are handled by Oscilloscope Laboratories, who is distributing the film in the USA.
Previous Canadian submissions in the Oscar race include Rojek, Eternal Spring, and Drunken Birds. Canada has once won the prize for 2003’s The Barbarian Invasions and scored seven additional nominations including co-productions, most recently for War Witch (2012), Monsieur Lazhar (2011), and Incendies (2010). The last Canadian film to make the shortlist was It’s Only the End of the World (2016), which was also produced by Corbeil. The shortlist of 15 films advancing to the next stage of the race will be announced on December 17. Nominations for the 97th Academy Awards will be revealed on January 17.
