Winnipeg-born filmmaker Matthew Rankin is now an Oscar hopeful. Read this article for free: Already have an account? To continue reading, please subscribe: * Winnipeg-born filmmaker Matthew Rankin is now an Oscar hopeful. Read unlimited articles for free today: Already have an account? Winnipeg-born filmmaker Matthew Rankin is now an Oscar hopeful.
, directed and co-written by Rankin, has been selected to represent Canada in the nomination process for Best International Feature Film at the 97th Academy Awards, to be held on March 2, 2025. “I’m sort of flabbergasted; it’s a very unusual movie and not an obvious choice by any means,” Rankin said of his reaction to Tuesday’s announcement from Telefilm Canada. “And of course, I’m from Winnipeg, so any hubris I might have ever had has long since beaten out of me.
” was shot in Winnipeg and Montreal and premièred to glowing reviews at the Cannes Film Festival. Presented in French and Farsi, it portrays an alternate Winnipeg universe in which a growing Persian community is starting to make an indelible imprint on the city’s culture. Rankin was doubly excited for his collaborators, which include friends Pirouz Nemati, Ila Firouzabadi, Sylvain Corbeil, as well as cast and crew members from Winnipeg.
“I made this film with lots of people that I really love,” he said, speaking over the phone from his home in Montreal. “It’s a beautiful recognition of our work and we’ll do our best to represent Canada at that.