Universal Language
Directed by Matthew Rankin

Friday, March 7, 6 pm | BUY TICKETS

$12 | $8 Speed members

“Formally precise and very funny.” — Scott Macaulay, Filmmaker Magazine

Director Matthew Rankin has crafted a hilarious and touching film set on the Canadian prairie where the droll landscape belies the experiences of those who inhabit it. 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.

Grade-schoolers 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 Québécois 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. Winner of the Audience Award for the Director’s Fortnight at the Cannes Film Festival and shortlisted for the 2025 Best International Feature Film Oscar. 2024, Canada, DCP, in Persian and French with English subtitles, 89 minutes. Recommended for 14+.