Winter. Somewhere between Tehran and Winnipeg. Negin and Nazgol find a sum of money frozen deep within the sidewalk ice and try to find a way to get it out. Massoud leads a group of befuddled tourists upon an increasingly-strange walking tour of Winnipeg historic sites. Matthew leaves his job at the Québec government and embarks upon a mysterious journey to visit his estranged mother.
Cast and Crew
Rojina Esmaeili
Negin
Saba Vahedyousefi
Nazgol
Matthew Rankin
Matthew (Massoud)
Pirouz Nemati
Massoud (Matthew)
Mani Soleymanlou
Iraj Bilodeau
Ila Firouzabadi
Bus Driver
Sobhan Javadi
Omid
Danielle Fichaud
Monsieur Castonguay
Bahram Nabatian
Hafez Ghamghosar
Hemela Pourafzal
Woman with Turkey
Dara Najmabadi
Pirouz
Denis Houle
Jean
Amir Amiri
Musician 1
Faraz Anoushahpour
Tourist 3
Bernard Arène
Pharmacist
Gilnaz Arzpeyma
Samovar technician
Asinnajaq
Knitter
Baharan BaniAhmadi
Miss Zardooz
Sarianne Cormier
Ticket Agent
Sahar Mofidi
Lacrimologist
Zhila Naghibzadeh
Tourist 1
Nima Pourtolami
Birthday cake salesman
Ramin S. Khanjani
Bingo mistress
Mohammad Salari
Annie St-Pierre
Jeanne and Réjeanne Suissûr
Aonan Yang
Aonan Yang
Nora Zarkandi
Videos & Trailers
Q&A with Matthew Rankin | TIFF 2025
Iranian Cinema Inspired Matthew Rankin’s UNIVERSAL LANGUAGE | TIFF 2024
Canadian Spot
Denis Villeneuve interviews Matthew Rankin - Universal Language
UNIVERSAL LANGUAGE (UNE LANGUE UNIVERSELLE) Conversation at AFI FEST presented by Canva
Matthew Rankin, Ila Firouzabadi, Pirouz Nemati & More on Universal Language
Matthew Rankin on the raw, personal story of UNIVERSAL LANGUAGE
Oscars 2025: UNE LANGUE UNIVERSELLE representing Canada
Official U.S. Trailer [Subtitled]
Matthew Rankin's Universal Language at Cannes 2024
