Trivia

Doesn't use any music when he's editing, especially during the first edit of his films.

Denis Villeneuve was disappointed with his first two movies, August 32nd on Earth (1998) and Maelström (2000), so he took a nine-year sabbatical as a stay-at-home dad. He vowed to return "when I was ready to make a film I could be proud of", which was Polytechnique (2009).

He is a big fan of Christopher Nolan, and the admiration is mutual.

All-time favorite film is Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968).

Abandoned an interest in science in college to pursue his love of filmmaking. Then studied film at Université du Québec à Montréal.

His other favorite films include: Seven Samurai (1954), Vertigo (1958), Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977), Dead Ringers (1988), Amores Perros (2000), Children of Men (2006), There Will Be Blood (2007), Inception (2010), Dunkirk (2017) and Mother! (2017).

Was on the shortlist to direct The Batman (2022).

His influences include Steven Spielberg, François Truffaut, Jean-Luc Godard, Stanley Kubrick, Ingmar Bergman, Ridley Scott, Jacques Audiard, Yorgos Lanthimos, Pierre Perrault and Michel Brault.

Mulholland Drive (2001) is one of his favorite movies.

Member of the 'Official Competition' jury at the 71st Cannes International Film Festival in 2018.

He is a huge James Bond fan, with his favorite movies being Casino Royale (2006), and Skyfall (2012). He has also expressed hopes of one day directing a film in the franchise.

Villeneuve played hockey in his youth, but considers himself a poor player. He became interested in sci-fi comics through the works of Jean 'Moebius' Giraud, Enki Bilal, Jean-Claude Mézières, Philippe Druillet and Alejandro Jodorowsky. He then developed a passion for cinema and made short films during high school.

At around age 13, Denis Villeneuve and concept artist Nicolas Kadima began experimenting with storyboarding movies they imagined making. "Nicolas was a very good artist, so he did the drawing, and I would tell the stories," Villeneuve says.

His first language is French.

Denis Villeneuve is the descendant of three generations of notaries.

In André Turpin's Zigrail (1995), Denis Villeneuve plays his own role, and in Martin Villeneuve's Les 12 travaux d'Imelda (2022), he lends his voice as himself.

Father of Salomé Villeneuve.

He has directed two films that have been nominated for the Best Picture Oscar: Arrival (2016) and Dune: Part One (2021).

Born on exactly the same date as Jennifer Campbell of "Robin's Hoods" and "Baywatch" fame.