Winnipeg director Matthew Rankin says next films will focus on Progressive Conservatives, Esperanto

Alex Nino Gheciu · The Canadian Press

· Posted: Apr 05, 2025 2:31 PM EDT | Last Updated: 8 minutes ago

Universal Language director Matthew Rankin says he's channelling his originative vigor into 2 caller films: 1 probing Canada's blimpish bequest and different connected the world's astir celebrated made-up language.

The Winnipeg autochthonal says he's moving connected an "experimental collage" that recounts the past of the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada done archival footage, including aged TV commercials, nationalist work announcements and instructional films.

Rankin says helium wants to research the party's improvement due to the fact that he's been preoccupied by what helium describes arsenic Canada's "reckoning" with conservatism.

Rankin says helium and Universal Language co-writer Ila Firouzabadi are besides moving connected a docu-fiction movie called Congresso, which is centred connected Esperanto, the world's astir wide spoken constructed language.

Rankin says Congresso builds connected the themes successful Universal Language, which imagined an absurdist imaginativeness of Winnipeg wherever the 2 authoritative languages are Farsi and French, and ominous propaganda banners diagnostic erstwhile real-life Progressive Conservative premier Brian Pallister.

That Winnipeg-set dramedy, which was short-listed for an Academy Award, now leads each movie contenders astatine adjacent month's Canadian Screen Awards with 13 nominations, including for champion film, champion directing and champion archetypal screenplay.

Rankin says helium began filming Congresso at 2022's World Esperanto Congress convention, which took spot successful Montreal.

"Esperanto and progressive conservatism, these are not guaranteed assemblage pleasers. I don't cognize what benignant of assemblage determination exists for that," laughs Rankin, reached by telephone successful Montreal past period pursuing connection of the Canadian Screen Award nominations.

"But we felt the aforesaid mode astir Universal Language. If these lone play astatine the Oakville Creativity Festival, that's fine. I person nary hint who volition ticker anything. I truly conscionable americium pursuing what thrills my soul."

Rankin says he's likewise pursuing his instinct successful exploring the galore shades of conservatism with a still-untitled film.

"Conservatism is thing we're benignant of reckoning with astatine the moment, and it's thing that I don't precisely recognize the meaning of. Progressive conservatism, which is simply a precise Canadian idea, is adjacent much mysterious successful a batch of ways, but it's precise antithetic from modern conservatism," helium says.

"[The film] explores what it means and its evolution."

Timely taxable amid commercialized tension

Rankin says the movie feels particularly timely amid commercialized tensions with the United States and threats by U.S. President Donald Trump to marque Canada the 51st state. He said it's steadfast that Canadians are present reasoning astir what their citizenship means.

"It's truly bully that radical inquire these questions due to the fact that radical don't adjacent ballot anymore, right? There's been a grade of corporate withdrawal from the thought that we unrecorded successful a society. I deliberation we've been led down this unspeakable way of disposable civilization and clientelism," helium explains.

"It's the thought of: Why should I wage for your chemotherapy, your employment insurance, your wellness care, your experimental animation? I don't usage immoderate of that. That's your problem. It's conscionable each antheral for himself."

He says the movie is inspired by the works of U.S. documentary filmmakers Adam Curtis and Brett Morgen, who helium calls masters of the experimental collage. He hopes to decorativeness the movie adjacent year.

Rankin says he's gladsome to unrecorded successful a state that funds cosmopolitan wellness attraction and supports the arts, but worries much Canadians are adopting a mindset of "one-stop buying and 'I don't attraction astir my neighbour."'

"I deliberation present we're being confronted by this infinitesimal wherever we person [to ask]: What does our citizenship mean if we don't privation to beryllium a 51st state? I deliberation these are bully questions to inquire and I deliberation these are questions that civilization indispensable ask."