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Radio France Internationale
Radio France Internationale
Lifestyle
Ollia Horton

Surreal Canadian comedy shifts between Farsi and French to defy borders

Matthew Rankin Canada Winnipeg Cannes RFI Tehran Toronto
Scene from "Universal Language" (Une langue universelle) by Canadian director Matthew Rankin, presented as part of the Directors' Fortnight at the Cannes Film Festival 2024. © Metafilms

Set "somewhere between Tehran and Winnipeg", Canadian director Matthew Rankin’s second feature Universal Language is a homage to family and community. Filmed in Farsi and French, its quaint, absurdist humour has enchanted festival audiences from Cannes to Toronto, and earned it Canada's nomination for Best International Feature at the Oscars.

Bringing people together regardless of distance, language or culture is at the heart of Rankin’s latest project Universal Language (Une Langue Universelle).

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