{"id":149369,"date":"2024-08-27T14:55:31","date_gmt":"2024-08-27T18:55:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/telefilm.ca\/?p=149369"},"modified":"2026-06-15T15:17:04","modified_gmt":"2026-06-15T19:17:04","slug":"universal-language-is-canadas-choice-in-the-race-for-best-international-feature-film-at-the-2025-oscars","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/telefilm.ca\/en\/universal-language-is-canadas-choice-in-the-race-for-best-international-feature-film-at-the-2025-oscars","title":{"rendered":"UNIVERSAL LANGUAGE is Canada\u2019s Choice in the race for Best International Feature Film at the 2025 Oscars\u00ae\u202f"},"content":{"rendered":"
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MONTR\u00c9AL \u2013 Universal Language<\/em>\u202fis representing Canada in the nomination process for\u202fBest International Feature Film at the\u202f97th<\/sup> Academy Awards\u00ae<\/sup>, to be held on\u202fMarch 2, 2025.\u202fThe film is\u202fdirected by\u202fMatthew Rankin, <\/strong>written by\u202fMatthew Rankin<\/strong>, Pirouz Nemati<\/strong> and Ila Firouzabadi <\/strong>and produced by\u202fMetafilms<\/strong>. It is being distributed in Qu\u00e9bec by Maison 4:3<\/strong>, by levelFILM <\/strong>in the rest of Canada, and by Oscilloscope Laboratories<\/strong> in the US.\u202fInternational sales are handled by Best Friend Forever (BFF)<\/strong>.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis year’s film submissions brilliantly showcase the exceptional talent that makes Canada shine. Universal Language<\/em> by director Matthew Rankin has been selected by a jury of industry peers to represent Canada in the race for the Oscar\u00ae for Best International Feature Film,\u201d says Julie Roy<\/strong>, Executive Director and CEO of Telefilm Canada. \u201cThis 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. That’s the power of cinema! We wish Matthew Rankin, Sylvain Corbeil and the entire creative team the best of luck!\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe are amazed by this improbable selection and we will do our very best to represent Canada at the Oscars,\u201d said director Matthew Rankin<\/strong>. \u201cUniversal Language<\/em> 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-Qu\u00e9b\u00e9cois brain which became our film, beh naam\u00e9 doosti (in the Name of Friendship).\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Universal Language<\/em>,\u202fwhich\u202fworld premiered at\u202fthe 2024 Cannes Film Festival, will have its North American premiere at TIFF on September 10, 2024. The film stars Rojina Esmaeili, Saba Vahedyousefi, Pirouz Nemati, Mani Soleymanlou and Matthew Rankin.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As the appointed non-voting chair of the committee, Telefilm Canada organizes the annual pan-Canadian Selection Committee for Canada\u2019s submission to the Best International Feature Film category at the Academy Awards\u00ae<\/sup>.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The vote was determined by a pan-Canadian committee of industry organizations and guilds, as well as filmmakers and industry professionals appointed to represent organizations. Twenty-six films were submitted for consideration as Canada\u2019s Choice this year. The committee met the morning of August 27th<\/sup> <\/sup>to select the film. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

So far,\u202fnine\u202fcountries have submitted their entries for the Best International Feature Film category. Last year,\u202f88\u202fcountries submitted a film.\u202f <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Key dates:<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n