Marking his second decade as a film producer, I had the opportunity to sit down with Montreal-based Sylvain Corbeil at the 2024 Marrakech International Film Festival to discuss his latest collaboration with the uniquely talented Matthew Rankin. Rankin’s sophomore feature, Universal Language (set for release this Friday by Oscilloscope Laboratories), has been making waves on the festival circuit since its premiere last May in Cannes. Chosen as Canada’s Oscar submission and a standout in the Directors’ Fortnight, the film transcends borders, weaving Canadiana into a reimagined vision of community.
Corbeil is a seasoned producer with that magic touch, under the Metafilms moniker he has championed projects from acclaimed filmmakers such as Denis Côté, Xavier Dolan, Maxime Giroux, and Anne Émond, and more recently Cannes hits such as Charlotte Le Bon’s Falcon Lake (2022) and Monia Chokri’s Simple comme Sylvain (2023). With Universal Language, Corbeil continues to showcase his knack for bringing bold, boundary-pushing stories to the screen. I had the chance to learn how the project came together, what it means to be an independent film producer supporting new talents, and his recent incursion into non-fiction cinema.
