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Denis Villeneuve

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Denis Villeneuve
OC CQ
Villeneuve at the 2018 Cannes Film Festival
Born (1967-10-03) October 3, 1967 (age 57)
Bécancour, Quebec, Canada
Alma materUniversité du Québec à Montréal
Occupations
  • Film director
  • film producer
  • screenwriter
Years active1990–present
SpouseTanya Lapointe
Children3
RelativesMartin Villeneuve (brother)
Signature

Denis Villeneuve OC CQ (French: [dəni vilnœv]; born October 3, 1967) was a Canadian filmmaker. He is a four-time recipient of the Canadian Screen Award (formerly Genie Award) for Best Direction, winning for Maelström in 2001, Polytechnique in 2009, Incendies in 2010 and Enemy in 2013.[1][2] The first three of these films also won the Canadian Screen Award for Best Motion Picture, while the latter was awarded the prize for best Canadian film of the year by the Toronto Film Critics Association.

Internationally, he is known for directing several critically acclaimed films, including the thrillers Prisoners (2013) and Sicario (2015), as well as the science fiction films Arrival (2016) and Blade Runner 2049 (2017).[3][4] For his work on Arrival, he received an Academy Award nomination for Best Director.[5] He was awarded the prize of Director of the Decade by the Hollywood Critics Association in December 2019.[6]

His latest film, Dune (2021), based on Frank Herbert's novel of the same name, premiered at the 78th Venice International Film Festival; the film received critical acclaim, was a commercial success at the box office internationally, is currently his highest grossing film to date,[7] and earned him Academy Award nominations for Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Picture, with the film itself winning a leading six Oscars at 94th Academy Awards.

Early life

Villeneuve was born on October 3, 1967, in the village of Gentilly in Bécancour, Quebec, to Nicole Demers, a homemaker, and Jean Villeneuve, a notary. He is the eldest of four siblings. His younger brother, Martin, also became a filmmaker.[8][9]

Villeneuve attended the Séminaire Saint-Joseph de Trois-Rivières[8] and later studied science at the Cégep de Trois-Rivières.[9] He studied cinema at the Université du Québec à Montréal.[10]

Career

Villeneuve began his career making short films and won Radio-Canada's youth film competition, La Course Europe-Asie, in 1991.[11]

August 32nd on Earth (1998), Villeneuve's feature film directorial debut, premiered in the Un Certain Regard section at the 1998 Cannes Film Festival.[12] Alexis Martin won the Prix Jutra for Best Actor. The film was selected as the Canadian entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 71st Academy Awards, but was not nominated.[13][14]

Villeneuve at the 2013 Toronto International Film Festival

His second film, Maelström (2000), attracted further attention and screened at festivals worldwide, ultimately winning eight Jutra Awards and the award for Best Canadian Film from the Toronto International Film Festival. He followed that up with the controversial, but critically acclaimed black and white film Polytechnique (2009) about the shootings that occurred at the University of Montreal in 1989. The film premiered at the Cannes Film Festival and received numerous honours, including nine Genie Awards, becoming Villeneuve's first film to win the Genie (now known as a Canadian Screen Award) for Best Motion Picture.[15]

Villeneuve's fourth film Incendies (2010) garnered critical acclaim when it premiered at the Venice and Toronto International Film Festivals in 2010. Incendies was subsequently chosen to represent Canada at the 83rd Academy Awards in the category of Best Foreign Language Film[16] and was eventually nominated for the award, though it did not win.[17] The film went on to win eight awards at the 31st Genie Awards, including Best Motion Picture, Best Direction, Best Actress (Lubna Azabal), Best Adapted Screenplay, Cinematography, Editing, Overall Sound, and Sound Editing.[18] Incendies was chosen by The New York Times as one of the top 10 best films of that year.[19]

In January 2011, he was selected by Variety as one of the top ten filmmakers to watch.[20] Also in 2011, Villeneuve won the National Arts Centre Award.[21]

Villeneuve followed Incendies with the crime thriller film Prisoners, starring Hugh Jackman and Jake Gyllenhaal. The film screened at festivals across the globe, won several awards, and was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Cinematography in 2014.[22]

Following Incendies and Prisoners, Villeneuve won Best Director for his sixth film, the psychological thriller Enemy (2014), at the 2nd Canadian Screen Awards. The film was awarded the $100,000 cash prize for best Canadian film of the year by the Toronto Film Critics Association in 2015.[23]

Villeneuve at the 2015 Cannes Film Festival

Later that year, Villeneuve directed the crime thriller film Sicario, scripted by Taylor Sheridan,[24] and starring Emily Blunt, Benicio del Toro, Daniel Kaluuya, and Josh Brolin.[25] The film competed for the Palme d'Or at the 2015 Cannes Film Festival, though it did not win.[26] It screened at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2015 and went on to gross nearly $80 million worldwide.[27]

Villeneuve subsequently directed his eighth film, Arrival (2016), based on the short story Story of Your Life by author Ted Chiang, from an adapted script by Eric Heisserer,[28] with Amy Adams and Jeremy Renner starring.[29] Principal photography began on June 7, 2015, in Montreal, and the film was released in 2016.[30] Arrival grossed $203 million worldwide and received critical acclaim, specifically for Adams's performance, Villeneuve's direction, and the film's exploration of communicating with extraterrestrial intelligence. Arrival appeared on numerous critics' best films of the year lists,[31] and was selected by the American Film Institute as one of ten films of the year.[32] It received eight nominations at the 89th Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Adapted Screenplay, ultimately winning one award for Best Sound Editing. It was also awarded the Ray Bradbury Award for Outstanding Dramatic Presentation and the Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation in 2017.[33][34]

In February 2015, it was announced that Villeneuve would direct Blade Runner 2049, the sequel to Ridley Scott's Blade Runner (1982).[35] Scott served as the film's executive producer on behalf of Warner Bros.[36][37] It was released on October 6, 2017, to critical acclaim and middling box office returns.[38] David Ehrlich of IndieWire wrote, "Few filmmakers of the 21st century have risen to prominence and prestige with the forcefulness of Blade Runner 2049 director Denis Villeneuve, whose seemingly unstoppable career has been bolstered by a steady balance of critical respect and commercial success. In fact, Christopher Nolan is the only other person who comes to mind, and the similarities between the two of them are hard to ignore."[39]

In December 2016, it was announced Villeneuve would direct Dune, a new adaptation of the 1965 novel for Legendary Pictures with Villeneuve, Eric Roth, and Jon Spaihts writing the screenplay.[40][41] Timothée Chalamet, Rebecca Ferguson, Oscar Isaac, Stellan Skarsgård, Jason Momoa and Zendaya starred in the film.[42][43][44][45][46][47] The film was released on October 22, 2021, by Warner Bros. Pictures to critical acclaim[48] and has become his highest-grossing film to date. A sequel, Dune: Part Two, was greenlit and scheduled for release on October 20, 2023.[49] Additionally, Villeneuve will serve as an executive producer and direct the first episode of Dune: The Sisterhood, a spin-off television series focusing on the female characters in the novel, for HBO Max.[50]

Villeneuve is set to direct the adaptation of Jo Nesbø's crime novel The Son,[51] which will star Jake Gyllenhaal and will be an HBO limited series.[52] He is also attached to direct a historical drama about Cleopatra for Sony Pictures and an adaptation of Arthur C. Clarke's science fiction novel Rendezvous with Rama for Alcon Entertainment.[53][54]

Personal life

Villeneuve is married to Tanya Lapointe, a journalist and filmmaker,[55] and he has three children from a previous relationship.[56] His younger brother, Martin Villeneuve, is also a filmmaker.[57]

Filmography

Villeneuve with Josh Brolin, Emily Blunt, and Benicio del Toro at the 2015 Cannes Film Festival premiere of Sicario

Feature films

Year Title Director Writer Producer
1998 August 32nd on Earth Yes Yes No
2000 Maelström Yes Yes No
2009 Polytechnique Yes Yes No
2010 Incendies Yes Yes No
2013 Prisoners Yes No No
Enemy Yes No No
2015 Sicario Yes No No
2016 Arrival Yes No No
2017 Blade Runner 2049 Yes No No
2021 Dune Yes Yes Yes
2023 Dune: Part Two Yes Yes Yes

Short films

Year Title Director Writer
1990 La Course Destination Monde Yes No
1994 REW FFWD[58] Yes Yes
1996 Cosmos ("Le Technétium" segment)[59] Yes Yes
2006 120 Seconds to Get Elected Yes Yes
2008 Next Floor Yes No
2011 Rated R for Nudity Yes Yes
2011 Étude empirique sur l'influence du son sur la persistance rétinienne Yes Yes

Television

Year Title Director Executive
Producer 		Notes
TBA Dune: The Sisterhood[60] Yes Yes Pilot episode
N/A The Son[52] Yes Yes Limited series

Reception

Film Rotten Tomatoes[61] Metacritic[62] BFCA[63] CinemaScore[64] Budget Box office[65][66]
Maelström 81% 66 71/100 — $3.4 million $0.3 million
Polytechnique 87% 63 — — $6 million $1.6 million
Incendies 92% 80 87/100 — $6.8 million $16.1 million
Prisoners 81% 70 85/100 B+ $46 million $122.2 million
Enemy 71% 61 74/100 — — $4.6 million
Sicario 92% 82 89/100 A− $30 million $84.9 million
Arrival 94% 81 88/100 B $47 million $203.4 million
Blade Runner 2049 88% 81 87/100 A− $185 million $259.2 million
Dune 83% 74 86/100 A− $165 million $400.1 million

Accolades

Main article: List of awards and nominations received by Denis Villeneuve
Year Title Academy Awards BAFTA Awards Golden Globe Awards
Nominations Wins Nominations Wins Nominations Wins
2010 Incendies 1 1
2013 Prisoners 1
2015 Sicario 3 3
2016 Arrival 8 1 9 1 2
2017 Blade Runner 2049 5 2 8 2
2021 Dune 10 6 11 5 3 1
Total 28 9 21 8 5 1

Honours

Commonwealth
Location Date Appointment Post-nominal letters
 Canada July 5, 2018 – present Officer of the Order of Canada[67] OC
 Quebec 2019–present Knight of the National Order of Quebec[68] CQ
 Canada 2012 Canadian Version of the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal[69] N/A
Honorary Degrees
Location Date School Degree Gave commencement address
 Quebec December 5, 2017 Université du Québec à Montréal Doctorate[70] Yes
Memberships and fellowships
Location Date Organization Position
 California 2014–present Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences[71] Member (Directors Branch)

References

  1. ^ "Polytechnique sweeps Genie Awards". Toronto Star, April 12, 2010.
  2. ^ "Villeneuve’s Incendies wins eight Genies, including best picture". The Globe and Mail, March 10, 2011.
  3. ^ Lynch, John (September 28, 2017). "The first reviews of 'Blade Runner 2049' are calling it a 'sci-fi masterpiece'". Business Insider. Retrieved September 29, 2017.
  4. ^ "Impeccably cool 'Blade Runner 2049' is a ravishing visual feast: EW review". Entertainment Weekly. September 29, 2017. Retrieved September 29, 2017.
  5. ^ "'Arrival' Director Denis Villeneuve on Oscar Noms, Amy Adams' Snub". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved February 14, 2018.
  6. ^ "Quebec filmmaker Denis Villeneuve to be honoured by critics' association". Montreal Gazette. December 13, 2019. Retrieved December 15, 2019.
  7. ^ October 26, Christian Holub; EDT, 2021 at 02:17 PM. "'Dune' sequel announced following film's successful opening weekend". EW.com. Retrieved November 20, 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  8. ^ a b "Les parents de Denis Villeneuve débordent de fierté" (in Canadian French). CBC/Radio-Canada. January 24, 2017. Retrieved October 5, 2017.
  9. ^ a b Fontaine, Myriam; Mullen, Patrick (January 27, 2011). "Denis Villeneuve". The Canadian Encyclopedia. Retrieved January 25, 2020.
  10. ^ Vineyard, Jennifer (January 25, 2017). "Denis Villeneuve Has Arrived. Now He's About to Take the Next Step". Vulture. Retrieved January 25, 2020.
  11. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on March 2, 2011. Retrieved March 1, 2011.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  12. ^ "Festival de Cannes: August 32nd on Earth". Festival-Cannes.com. Archived from the original on January 22, 2013. Retrieved October 4, 2009.
  13. ^ Margaret Herrick Library, Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
  14. ^ "45 Countries Submit Films for Oscar Consideration". Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. November 19, 1998. Archived from the original on February 19, 1999. Retrieved October 20, 2015.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  15. ^ Lacey, Liam (December 13, 2000). "Maelstrom storms the Genies". The Globe and Mail. Archived from the original on February 11, 2018. Retrieved February 11, 2018.
  16. ^ Vlessing, Etan (September 22, 2010). "Canada picks 'Incendies' to vie for Oscar". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved September 29, 2010.
  17. ^ "Nominees for the 83rd Academy Awards". Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Retrieved January 25, 2011.
  18. ^ "Genie Awards: It's "Incendies" and the Red Carpet – Blog – The Film Experience". thefilmexperience.net. Retrieved November 30, 2015.
  19. ^ Holden, Stephen (December 14, 2011). "2011 Films: 'Melancholia,' 'Tree of Life,' 'Moneyball'". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved November 30, 2015.
  20. ^ "Variety taps Canadians among directors to watch". CBC News. January 3, 2011.
  21. ^ Villeneuve, Denis. "Denis Villeneuve, 2011 National Arts Centre Award". ggpaa.ca. Governor General's Performing Arts Awards. Retrieved November 15, 2016.
  22. ^ "11-time Oscar nominee Roger Deakins talks 'Prisoners' and the upcoming 'Unbroken'". HitFix. Retrieved November 30, 2015.
  23. ^ "Villeneuve's Enemy wins $100,000 Toronto critics' prize for best Canadian film of 2014". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved November 30, 2015.
  24. ^ "Denis Villeneuve in Talks To Direct Mexican Crime Drama Sicario for Black Flag". Deadline Hollywood. December 6, 2013. Retrieved June 2, 2014.
  25. ^ "Josh Brolin to Star Opposite Emily Blunt in Denis Villeneuve's 'Sicario'". Variety. May 30, 2014. Retrieved June 2, 2014.
  26. ^ "2015 Official Selection". Cannes. Archived from the original on April 18, 2015. Retrieved April 16, 2015.
  27. ^ "Sicario (2015) – Box Office Mojo". boxofficemojo.com. Retrieved November 30, 2015.
  28. ^ "Cannes: Paramount Confirms 'Story Of Your Life' Acquisition; $20 Million Is Fest Record Deal". Deadline Hollywood. May 14, 2014.
  29. ^ "Jeremy Renner Joins Amy Adams in Sci-Fi 'Story of Your Life'". The Hollywood Reporter. March 6, 2015.
  30. ^ "Amy Adams, Jennifer Garner spotted in Montreal as Hollywood filming heats up". The Gazette. Montreal. Retrieved November 30, 2015.
  31. ^ ""Film Critic Top 10 Lists - Best Movies of 2016 - Metacritic". Metacritic. Retrieved July 31, 2017.
  32. ^ Hipes, Patrick (December 8, 2016). "AFI Awards: Best Of 2016 List Includes 'Silence', 'Hacksaw Ridge' & More". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on December 22, 2016. Retrieved December 8, 2016.
  33. ^ "Nebula Awards 2017". Science Fiction Awards Database. Archived from the original on May 23, 2017. Retrieved May 24, 2017.
  34. ^ "2017 Hugo Awards". World Science Fiction Society. December 31, 2016. Archived from the original on July 28, 2017. Retrieved August 12, 2017.
  35. ^ "'Blade Runner' Sequel Has Found Its Director!". Variety. February 26, 2015. Retrieved February 26, 2015.
  36. ^ "Denis Villeneuve in Talks to Direct 'Blade Runner' Sequel". Variety. February 26, 2015. Retrieved February 26, 2015.
  37. ^ "'Blade Runner' sequel concept art: See a first look". Entertainment Weekly. July 15, 2016. Retrieved July 18, 2017.
  38. ^ Vincent, Alice (October 9, 2017). "Blade Runner 2049 has flopped at the box office – here are six reasons why". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Archived from the original on January 11, 2022. Retrieved October 10, 2017.
  39. ^ "Denis Villeneuve Movies Ranked from Worst to Best". IndieWire. October 2, 2017. Retrieved March 24, 2020.
  40. ^ Kit, Borys (January 9, 2019). "Stellan Skarsgard to Play Villain in Legendary's 'Dune'". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved January 9, 2019.
  41. ^ Kroll, Justin (December 21, 2016). "Blade Runner 2049 Helmer Denis Villeneuve Eyed to Direct Dune Reboot". Variety. Retrieved December 21, 2016.
  42. ^ Fleming, Mike Jr. (July 17, 2018). "Timothée Chalamet In Talks To Star In Dune For Denis Villeneuve And Legendary". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on July 16, 2018. Retrieved July 17, 2018.
  43. ^ Kit, Borys (January 9, 2019). "Stellan Skarsgard to Play Villain in Legendary's 'Dune'". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved January 9, 2019.
  44. ^ Davids, Brian (January 25, 2019). "Rebecca Ferguson on Prepping for Dune and Her Mission: Impossible Future". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on February 15, 2019. Retrieved February 14, 2019.
  45. ^ Kit, Borys; Couch, Aaron (January 29, 2019). "Oscar Isaac Joining Denis Villeneuve's Dune". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on January 30, 2019. Retrieved January 29, 2019.
  46. ^ Galuppo, Mia (January 30, 2019). "Zendaya Circling Denis Villeneuve's Dune". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on January 31, 2019. Retrieved February 15, 2019.
  47. ^ Fleming, Mike Jr. (February 14, 2019). "'Aquaman's Jason Momoa Joins Killer Cast Of Denis Villeneuve's 'Dune'". Deadline. Retrieved November 16, 2021.
  48. ^ Sneider, Jeff (October 5, 2020). "Exclusive: Denis Villeneuve's 'Dune' Movie Is Moving to Late 2021". Collider. Retrieved October 5, 2020.
  49. ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony; Kroll, Justin (October 26, 2021). "'Dune' Sequel Greenlighted By Legendary & Warner Bros; Pic Will Get Theatrical Window In October 2023". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved November 16, 2021.
  50. ^ Goldberg, Lesley (June 10, 2019). "'Dune: The Sisterhood' TV Series a Go at WarnerMedia". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved December 24, 2019.
  51. ^ McNary, Dave (May 26, 2016). "Jake Gyllenhaal, Denis Villeneuve to Reunite for Crime Drama 'The Son'". Variety. Retrieved October 7, 2016.
  52. ^ a b Kroll, Justin (October 20, 2020). "Jake Gyllenhaal, Denis Villeneuve And Lisa Joy And Jonathan Nolan Team On HBO Limited Series 'The Son'". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved October 23, 2020.
  53. ^ Kroll, Justin (September 27, 2017). "Denis Villeneuve in Talks to Direct 'Cleopatra' at Sony". Variety. Retrieved February 1, 2022.
  54. ^ Galuppo, Mia (December 15, 2021). "Denis Villeneuve Tackling Adaptation of Sci-Fi Classic 'Rendezvous with Rama' (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter.
  55. ^ Marsha Lederman, "Documentary The Paper Man looks at the impact and magic of Claude Lafortune's sculptures". The Globe and Mail, December 22, 2020.
  56. ^ Buckley, Cara (November 10, 2016). "Denis Villeneuve of 'Arrival' Leans In to Strong Heroines". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved December 12, 2016.
  57. ^ Martin Villeneuve: The Dreammaker, The Cozy Sweater Café, August 23, 2016
  58. ^ "REW-FFWD" (Online film). NFB.ca. National Film Board of Canada. Retrieved April 19, 2011.
  59. ^ "Cosmos: Film collectif". Films du Québec (in Canadian French).
  60. ^ Goldberg, Lesley (June 10, 2019). "'Dune: The Sisterhood' TV Series a Go at WarnerMedia". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved June 10, 2019.
  61. ^ "Denis Villeneuve". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved July 12, 2020.
  62. ^ "Denis Villeneuve". Metacritic. Retrieved January 2, 2018.
  63. ^ "Critics Choice". Broadcast Film Critics Association. Retrieved January 2, 2018.
  64. ^ "CinemaScore". cinemascore.com. Retrieved January 2, 2018.
  65. ^ "Denis Villeneuve". Boxofficemojo.com. Retrieved January 2, 2018.
  66. ^ "Denis Villeneuve". The Numbers. Retrieved February 14, 2022.
  67. ^ "Denis Villeneuve's Order of Canada Citation". Governor General of Canada. Retrieved February 6, 2022.
  68. ^ "Denis Villeneuve's National Order of Quebec Citation". National Order of Quebec (in French). Retrieved February 6, 2022.
  69. ^ "Denis Villeneuve's Diamond Jubilee Medal Citation". Governor General of Canada. Retrieved February 6, 2022.
  70. ^ "UQAM awards an honorary doctorate to filmmaker Denis Villeneuve". Université du Québec à Montréal. Retrieved February 6, 2022.
  71. ^ "Academy Invites 271 to Membership". The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. August 21, 2014. Retrieved February 6, 2022.
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