Best Friend Forever is building on its momentum at Cannes’ Marché du Film this year (running 14 - 22 May), after putting forth an excellent pair of works in the Berlinale (the first ever Nepalese feature film selected in competition, Shambhala [+lee también:
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The Brussels-based sales agent will be presenting another Canadian filmmaker known for his audacity at the Directors’ Fortnight, Matthew Rankin. Universal Language follows in the wake of Nazgol and Hossein, two young men who try to help a classmate retrieve an Iranian banknote in Winnipeg. Meanwhile, a character called Matthew Rankin resigns from his job in Montreal in order to be closer to his loved ones who are also in Winnipeg. It’s here that he meets Massoud, a tour guide who also cares for Rankin’s mother. But appearances can be deceiving… Universal Language promises to be an absurd and surrealist comedy about the modern world, which crosses cultures and influences; a Canadian film in Farsi, "venturing into new film territories between Teheran and Winnipeg", as sales agent Martin Gondre enthuses. The film is produced by Metafilms, who have notably produced works by Xavier Dolan and Monia Chokri, and Falcon Lake [+lee también:
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Best Friend Forever will also be championing a trio of new and promising movies. High hopes surround the second feature film by brothers Lenny and Harpo Guit, who sent Sundance into a spin with Mother Schmuckers [+lee también:
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Other movies set to be foregrounded by BFF in Cannes include Michaël Dichter’s The Fantastic Three - a family adventure film released in France on 15 May via Zinc - and Jean-Baptiste Saurel’s kung fu comedy Zénithal which is expected at the end of August (read our article).