Matthew Rankin is a Canadian experimental filmmaker and actor."It’s Hard to Be A Utopian: Matthew Rankin On His New Film ‘The Tesla World Light’". Cartoon Brew, May 23, 2017. His feature-length debut, The Twentieth Century, premiered in 2019 and was nominated for eight Canadian Screen Awards, winning three."Le premier long métrage de Matthew Rankin au FNC". La Presse, July 29, 2019.
He has also received accolades for his 2014 film Mynarski Death Plummet, which was a shortlisted Canadian Screen Award nominee for Best Live Action Short Drama at the 4th Canadian Screen Awards"Local artists, productions up for screen awards". Winnipeg Free Press, January 20, 2016. and a shortlisted Jutra Award nominee for Best Short Film at the 17th Jutra Awards,"Xavier Dolan domine les nominations aux Jutra". Métro, January 26, 2015. and his 2017 film The Tesla World Light, which won the Canadian Screen Award for Best Animated Short at the 6th Canadian Screen Awards and received an Honourable Mention for the Toronto International Film Festival Award for Best Canadian Short Film at the 2017 Toronto International Film Festival."Toronto International Film Festival Announces 2017 Award Winners". Broadway World, September 18, 2017.
His second feature film, Universal Language (Une langue universelle), premiered in the Directors' Fortnight section of the 2024 Cannes Film Festival,Rebecca Leffler, "Cannes 2024 Directors’ Fortnight line-up unveiled". Screen Daily, April 16, 2024.Taimur Sikander Mirza, "Matthew Rankin comedy to debut in Directors’ Fortnight in Cannes". Playback, April 16, 2024. The film was longlisted for the 2024 Jean-Marc Vallée DGC Discovery Award,Connie Thiessen, "DGC unveils Discovery Award long list". Broadcast Dialogue, September 12, 2024. and was selected as the Canadian entry for the Academy Award for the Best International Feature Film at the 97th Academy Awards.Jamie Casemore, "Rankin’s Universal Language is Canada’s pick for 97th Oscars". Playback, August 27, 2024.
Universal Language received 13 Canadian Screen Award nominations at the 13th Canadian Screen Awards in 2025,Nicholas Sokic, "Universal Language leads CSA 2025 film noms". Playback, March 26, 2025. and won six awards including Best Director.
Life
Originally from Winnipeg, Manitoba, he was associated with the Winnipeg Film Group as a teenager,Matthew Teklemariam, "How a group of weirdos from Winnipeg changed film forever". CBC Arts, July 15, 2025. and later studied history at McGill University, at Université Laval and at the Institut national de l'image et du son.
His father, Laird Rankin, was longtime executive director of Canada's National History Society and publisher of the history magazine The Beaver.Joanne Laucius, "Chretien's history lesson fuels debate". Ottawa Citizen, June 29, 1999.
He has also appeared as an actor in films by other directors, including This House (Cette maison) and Before I Change My Mind, and portrayed one of the lead characters in his own film Universal Language.
Filmography As filmmaker Short films 2003 - Je me souviens 2003 - Les deux McGill (Co-director: Walter Forsberg) 2003 - Weapons of Mass Destruction (Co-director: Walter Forsberg) 2005 - Le facteur poulpe 2006 - Où est Maurice? (Co-director: Alek Rzeszowski) 2006 - Kubasa in a Glass: The World of the Winnipeg TV Commercial (Co-director: Walter Forsberg) 2006 - Death by Popcorn: The Tragedy of the Winnipeg Jets (Co-directors: Mike Maryniuk, Walter Forsberg) 2006 - I Dream of Driftwood 2008 - Sharhé-Halé Shakhsi: M. Rankin 2008 - Cattle Call (Co-director: Mike Maryniuk) 2008 - Hydro-Lévesque 2008 - Barber Gull Rub 2010 - Negativipeg 2012 - Tabula Rasa 2014 - Mynarski Death Plummet 2014 - Exodus of the Year 2015 - The Radical Expeditions of Walter Boudreau 2015 - Ceci est un message officiel 2017 - The Tesla World Light 2022 - Municipal Relaxation Module 2023 - Federal Owl Commission
Feature-length films 2019 - The Twentieth Century 2024 - Universal Language 2026 - Ladies and Gentlemen, Brian Mulroney (Mesdames et Messieurs, Brian Mulroney)
Acting roles 2022 - Before I Change My Mind, as Daniel - directed by Trevor Anderson 2022 - This House (Cette maison), as Dr. Densmore - directed by Miryam Charles 2024 - Universal Language, as Matthew - directed by himself 2024 - Blue Heron, as the psychologist - directed by Sophy Romvari 2026 - So Long Pluto (Au revoir Pluton) as Clyde Tombaugh - directed by Sarianne Cormier
References
External links