Universal Language also wins the Arthouse Cinema Award at Loft Film Fest 2024 • CICAE

The film UNIVERSAL LANGUAGE by Matthew Rankin received the Arthouse Cinema Award at the Loft Film Fest 2024, right after already winning the CICAE award at the Filmfest Hamburg 2024.

The jury, formed by Charlotte Kramer (Salzgeber & Co, Berlin, Germany), Frédéric Cornet (Cinema Galeries, Brussels, Belgium) and Peter Catalanotte (Film Tucson, Tucson, USA) stated as following:

"This award celebrates a unique film that transports viewers to an alternate and surreal version of Winnipeg, a snowy space where all the inhabitants are Iranian and all the signs are in Persian.

The film stands out not only for its quirky and endearing characters but also for its absurdly funny situations. Despite the apparent randomness of these scenes, all the comedic vignettes come together in a coherent whole, offering a playful and eccentric portrayal of daily life in Winnipeg.

The literal translations from Farsi to English of some dialogues in the film make some scenes both dryly humorous and deeply meaningful, perfectly encapsulates the film’s project: a story so specific it borders on the incomprehensible, yet somehow becomes universal. This unique blend—where the deadpan humour of Aki Kaurismäki and the surreal sensibility of Guy Maddin meet the quiet odysseys of Abbas Kiarostami and Jafar Panahi in their Kanoon era — provides a very particular flavour that, despite its specificity, manages to move and resonate universally.

With its stunning cinematography and captivating soundtrack, Universal Language goes far beyond humour. Every line, every scene, and every sequence subtly questions our notions of community and belonging, making it both entertaining and thought-provoking.We are proud to announce that the film Universal Language is our choice to receive the prestigious CICAE Cinema Arthouse Award at the Loft Film Fest."

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.

Gradeschoolers 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 Québecois 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.

Directed by: Matthew Rankin

Script: Matthew Rankin, Pirouz Nemati & Ila Firouzabadi

Cinematographer: Isabelle Stachtchenko

Editing: Xi Feng

Music: Amir Amiri & Christophe Lamarche-Ledoux

Cast: Rojina ESMAEILI, Saba VAHEDYOUSEFI, Sobhan JAVADI, Pirouz NEMATI, Matthew RANKIN, Mani SOLEYMANLOU, Danielle FICHAUD, Danielle FICHAUD, Ila FIROUZABADI, Hemela POURAFZAL, Dara NAJMABADI

Production:

International Sales:

The CICAE Arthouse Cinema Award was conceived as an impetus for a film to have a wider recognition as a work of art and to stand as a mark of quality for exhibitors, cinema-goers, and cinephiles.