Matthew Rankin is a

Canadian Canadians () are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of their being ''C ...

experimental filmmaker. His feature-length debut, '' The Twentieth Century,'' premiered in 2019 and was nominated for eight Canadian Screen Awards, winning three. His second feature film, ''

Universal Language Universal language may refer to a hypothetical or historical language spoken and understood by all or most of the world's people. In some contexts, it refers to a means of communication said to be understood by all humans. It may be the idea o ...

(Une langue universelle)'', premiered in the Directors' Fortnight section of the 2024 Cannes Film Festival, The film was longlisted for the 2024 Jean-Marc Vallée DGC Discovery Award, and was selected as the Canadian entry for the

Academy Award The Academy Awards, commonly known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit in film. They are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in the United States in recognition of excellence ...

for the Best International Feature Film at the

97th Academy Awards The 97th Academy Awards ceremony, presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), took place on March 2, 2025, at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles. During the gala, the AMPAS presented Academy Awards (commonly r ...

. He has also received accolades for his 2014 film '' Mynarski Death Plummet'', which was a shortlisted

Canadian Screen Award The Canadian Screen Awards () are awards given for artistic and technical merit in the film industry recognizing excellence in Canadian film, English-language television, and digital media ( web series) productions. Given annually by the Academy ...

nominee for Best Live Action Short Drama at the 4th Canadian Screen Awards and a shortlisted

Jutra Award Jutras may have several meanings : * Claude Jutra: an award-winning French Canadian filmmaker **Jutra Award: Film awards formerly given in the Canadian province of Quebec, named after the filmmaker and now known as Prix Iris **The Claude Jutra Awa ...

nominee for Best Short Film at the 17th Jutra Awards, and his 2017 film '' The Tesla World Light'', which won the Canadian Screen Award for Best Animated Short at the

6th Canadian Screen Awards The 6th annual Canadian Screen Awards were held on March 11, 2018, to honour achievements in Canadian film, television, and digital media production in 2017.

and received an Honourable Mention for the Toronto International Film Festival Award for Best Canadian Short Film at the

2017 Toronto International Film Festival The 42nd annual Toronto International Film Festival was held from September 7 to 17, 2017. There were fourteen programs, with the Vanguard and City to City programs both being retired from previous years, with the total number of films down by ...

. His 2024 film ''

'' received 13

nominations at the 13th Canadian Screen Awards in 2025.Nicholas Sokic
"Universal Language leads CSA 2025 film noms"
'' Playback'', March 26, 2025.

Life

Originally from

Winnipeg Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Manitoba. It is centred on the confluence of the Red River of the North, Red and Assiniboine River, Assiniboine rivers. , Winnipeg h ...

Manitoba Manitoba is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada at the Centre of Canada, longitudinal centre of the country. It is Canada's Population of Canada by province and territory, fifth-most populous province, with a population ...

, he studied history at

McGill University McGill University (French: Université McGill) is an English-language public research university in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Founded in 1821 by royal charter,Frost, Stanley Brice. ''McGill University, Vol. I. For the Advancement of Learning, ...

, at

Université Laval (; English: ''Laval University)'' is a public research university in Quebec City, Quebec, Canada. The university traces its roots to the Séminaire de Québec, founded by François de Montmorency-Laval in 1663, making it the oldest institutio ...

and at the Institut national de l'image et du son. He has also had occasional small acting roles in other directors' films, most recently the 2022 films '' This House (Cette maison)'' and '' Before I Change My Mind''.

Filmography

Short films *''Le facteur poulpe'' - 2005 *''Où est Maurice?'' - 2006 *''I Dream of Driftwood'' - 2008 *''Sharhé-Halé Shakhsi: M. Rankin'' - 2008 *''Cattle Call'' - 2008 *''Hydro-Lévesque'' - 2008 *''Negativipeg'' - 2010 *''Tabula Rasa'' - 2012 *'' Mynarski Death Plummet'' - 2014 *''The Radical Expeditions of Walter Boudreau'' - 2015 *'' The Tesla World Light'' - 2017 *'' Municipal Relaxation Module'' - 2022 Feature-length films *'' The Twentieth Century'' - 2019 *''

'' - 2024

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Rankin, Matthew Canadian animated film directors Canadian experimental filmmakers Film directors from Winnipeg McGill University alumni Université Laval alumni Living people Directors of Genie and Canadian Screen Award winners for Best Animated Short Year of birth missing (living people) Best Screenplay Genie and Canadian Screen Award winners Best Director Genie and Canadian Screen Award winners