"Do you still feel like a Quebec filmmaker? Is that still in these films you're making now?"
Tom Power of Q asked this of Denis Villeneuve in light of the success of Dune and the upcoming follow-up film in 2023.
"I think so," Villeneuve said. He said the influences are still French-Canadian, from Quebec. He is inspired by past Quebec directors and their relationship with nature, with reality. "I still feel like it's in my DNA."
Villeneuve talked about making films in Canada required flexibility, the implication being low budgets. He said the ways of doing films are from Montréal, where he is still based.
You can listen for the whole answer. [The question starts about 23:40 into the almost 31 minute interview.] There is a longer version of the interview via the new Q Interview podcast from CBC Radio.
We have cast doubt on this question in our heads. Incendies (2010) is over a decade old. Enemy (2013) technically qualified as a Canada co-production.
We sat through Enemy (review coming later this month) and the film didn't remind us of his Quebecois work. As we have cited in the past, Villeneuve wrote and directed the Quebecois films; the only film he wrote of his recent films was the adaptation of Dune.
Villeneuve would be shaped by writing and directing films in Quebec, in Canada. So we don't always know what is in his DNA, as he says, or how much influence Quebec has, and whether that matters.
Villeneuve was growing up in Quebec when he first discovered the novel.
Still, getting an answer from Villeneuve himself was really intriguing. Good on Tom Power for asking and Villeneuve for answering.
'Dune' may be set in a distant time and place, but the film has Canadian roots (The New York Times)
The man who finally made a 'Dune' that fans will love (The New York Times)
Ian Austen, editor of the Canada Letter for The New York Times, noted that "as has been the case with most of Mr. Villeneuve's movies, many Canadians were involved in the production. Patrice Vermette, another Montréaler and longtime collaborator with Mr. Villeneuve, was the production designer responsible for creating the look of various planets as well as the vehicles, buildings, furnishings and gadgets used by their inhabitants."
Villeneuve also cited Vermette's contributions in the answer to Tom Power on Q.
Austen also cited Tanya Lapointe, an executive producer of Dune and Villeneuve's spouse.
"Other Canadians were involved in makeup and prosthetics, and two Canadian companies, one in Montréal and the other in Vancouver, were key contributors of digital special effects. (Their work is also responsible for the appearance of Quebec's film production tax credit system logo, a variation of the province's flag seen during the film's closing credits.)"
The New York Times Magazine had a profile and article on Villeneuve. Austen noted that Helen Macdonald talked with Villeneuve as he "went into some detail about how growing up in the village of Gentilly, on the south shore of the St. Lawrence River, affected how he transformed a favorite novel of his childhood into film. His time in Canada making documentaries also influenced him, as did a school friend who later joined the film industry and, above all, his grandmothers."
Austen points out precisely that it "would be an overstatement to call Dune a Canadian film." This is a very true statement; good to see some Canadian content is in the film.
Rolling Stone has a similar profile of Dune with nods to Villeneuve's childhood love of the Frank Herbert novel.
Oscar nomination should help people find Denis Villeneuve Quebec films
Canadians Oscars nomination scoreboard
The Canadian contribution on Dune may seem more significant with potential Academy Awards nominations. Villeneuve, Vermette, and the makeup artists could get Oscar nominations.
Denis Villeneuve has been nominated for Best Director for Arrival (2016). Villeneuve is the last Canadian director to receive a nomination. James Cameron won for Titanic (1997), beating out fellow Canadian Atom Egoyan (The Sweet Hereafter).
More women (2) have won the Best Director award than Canadians (1).
If Villeneuve gets nominated for Dune, he will be in fine company with Canadian directors with multiple nominations. That list includes Mark Robson [Peyton Place (1957), The Inn of the Sixth Happiness (1958)]; Norman Jewison [In the Heat of the Night (1967), Fiddler on the Roof (1971), and Moonstruck (1987)]; James Cameron [Titanic (1997), Avatar (2009)]; and Jason Reitman [Juno (2007), Up in the Air (2009)].
The Academy Award nominations will be known on February 8.
Villeneuve's Quebec work has been in the mix for Oscars consideration in what was then the Best Foreign Language Film category: Cosmos (1997), of which Villeneuve was one of several directors; August 32nd on Earth | Un 32 août sur terre (1998); Maelström (2000); and Incendies (2010). Only Incendies made the shortlist or the Top 5 cut.
TIFF will have a rare screening of August 32nd on Earth
Bilingual Canadian actors tend to flow from French to English
CanadianCrossing.com film coverage
Let's be crystal clear: your humble narrator understands the need for filmmakers to follow the path they want to lead. I can feel sad that Denis Villeneuve and Jean-Marc Vallée aren't making the same kind of films in Quebec and Canada that they did. Ideally, those who think they are great in the United States should find those earlier works.
That isn't terribly realistic since availability of those films is tres difficile. North Americans generally don't follow a director's work, unless you are a film geek. Not following the earlier work is easy, if less rewarding.
We should note the Vallée film C.R.A.Z.Y. (2005), which Canada submitted for Oscars consideration.
Canadian film review: Mars et Avril
We heartily recommend Mars et Avril if you are looking for a science fiction Canadian film directed by a Villeneuve. This film was written and directed by Martin Villeneuve, younger brother of Denis Villeneuve. This won't be playing on IMAX and doesn't have the budget of Dune.
photo credit: CBC News
Comments