Martin Villeneuve
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Martin Villeneuve () is a Canadian screenwriter, producer, director, actor, and art director. He was nominated at the
Canadian Screen Award The Canadian Screen Awards () are awards given for artistic and technical merit in the film industry recognizing excellence in Canadian film, English-language television, and digital media ( web series) productions. Given annually by the Academy ...
(formerly
Genie Award The Genie Awards were given out annually by the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television to recognize the best of Canadian cinema from 1980–2012. They succeeded the Canadian Film Awards (1949–1978), known as the "Etrog Awards" for sculptor ...
) in 2013 for Best Adapted Screenplay, for '' Mars et Avril'', his feature film debut. He is also known for '' The 12 Tasks of Imelda'', his second feature film released in 2022, in which he portrays his own grandmother, and for his animated series '' Red Ketchup'' which premiered in 2023. Villeneuve previously worked for
Cirque du Soleil Cirque du Soleil (, ; ) is a Canadian entertainment company and the largest contemporary circus producer in the world. Located in the inner-city area of Saint-Michel, Montreal, Saint-Michel, Montreal, it was founded in Baie-Saint-Paul on 16 Jun ...
as an
artistic director An artistic director is the executive of an arts organization, particularly in a theatre company or dance company, who handles the organization's artistic direction. They are generally a producer and director, but not in the sense of a mogu ...
for commercials and films.


Early life

He studied film production at
Concordia University Concordia University () is a Public university, public English-language research university located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Founded in 1974 following the merger of Loyola College (Montreal), Loyola College and Sir George Williams Universit ...
and graphic design at
Université du Québec à Montréal The (UQAM; ), is a French language, French-language public university, public research university based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It is the largest constituent element of the system. UQAM was founded on April 9, 1969, by the government o ...
. In 2002, he received an award from the commercial creativity agency Sid Lee for the quality of his portfolio. In the years that followed, he worked as an artistic director with this agency and created advertising campaigns for several
Cirque du Soleil Cirque du Soleil (, ; ) is a Canadian entertainment company and the largest contemporary circus producer in the world. Located in the inner-city area of Saint-Michel, Montreal, Saint-Michel, Montreal, it was founded in Baie-Saint-Paul on 16 Jun ...
shows, including ''
Zumanity ''Zumanity'' (zoo-manity) was a resident cabaret-style show by Cirque du Soleil at the New York-New York Hotel & Casino on the Las Vegas Strip, placed into the theatre previously occupied by Michael Flatley's Lord of the Dance (musical). The pro ...
'', '' '' and '' Corteo''. He found the name for these three shows, as well as for
Guy Laliberté Guy Laliberté, (born 2 September 1959) is a Canadian billionaire businessman and poker player. Along with Gilles Ste-Croix, he is the co-founder of Cirque du Soleil, which was founded in 1984. The Canadian circus company's shows have since be ...
’s
One Drop Foundation One Drop is an international non-profit organization based in Montreal, created in 2007 by Cirque du Soleil founder Guy Laliberté, which is focused on water initiatives. Arts and culture One Drop uses circus arts, folklore, popular theatre, musi ...
. When the agency (formerly known as Diesel) changed its name in 2006, Villeneuve had the idea for the
anagram An anagram is a word or phrase formed by rearranging the letters of a different word or phrase, typically using all the original letters exactly once. For example, the word ''anagram'' itself can be rearranged into the phrase "nag a ram"; which ...
Sid Lee. He also directed TV commercials for Cirque du Soleil,Cirque du Soleil – Advertising on Vimeo
2003-2013
in addition to music videos and documentary shorts.


Career

Villeneuve began his career as a writer and graphic artist in 2002. He has created the comic book ''La voix du tonnerre'' (Les 400 coups, 2004), as well as the two graphic novels ''Mars et Avril'' (Sid Lee & la Pastèque, 2002-2006).Festival du nouveau cinéma: ''Mars et Avril'' leaps off the page
, article from '' The Gazette'', October 5, 2012
In 2012, the feature film adaptation of '' Mars et Avril'' which Villeneuve wrote, directed and produced, was brought to the silver screen and released in Canada in Fall 2012. '' Mars et Avril'' toured in over 20 international festivals, starting with a world premiere at the 47th
Karlovy Vary International Film Festival The Karlovy Vary International Film Festival (, KVIFF) is an annual film festival held in Karlovy Vary, Czech Republic. The Karlovy Vary Festival is one of the oldest in the world and has become Central and Eastern Europe, Central and Eastern Eur ...
, Czech Republic, and received 10 nominations. Martin Villeneuve was nominated for Best Adapted Screenplay at the 2013
Canadian Screen Awards The Canadian Screen Awards () are awards given for artistic and technical merit in the film industry recognizing excellence in Canadian film, English-language television, and digital media ( web series) productions. Given annually by the Academy ...
, and he also won an Imaging the Future Award at the Neuchâtel International Fantasy Film Festival in Switzerland. On February 27, 2013, Villeneuve gave a TED Talk about '' Mars et Avril''.“Martin Villeneuve: How I made an impossible film”
, TED, June 7, 2013
This event took place in
Long Beach, California Long Beach is a coastal city in southeastern Los Angeles County, California, United States. It is the list of United States cities by population, 44th-most populous city in the United States, with a population of 451,307 as of 2022. A charter ci ...
. Prior to his talk, the opening sequence of the movie was shown, as well as a three minutes overview of the steps leading from the green screen to the final images. Villeneuve's talk, "How I made an impossible film," was released on TED.com on June 7, 2013, and a month later was added to TED's movie magic list, notably featuring directors
James Cameron James Francis Cameron (born August 16, 1954) is a Canadian filmmaker, who resides in New Zealand. He is a major figure in the post-New Hollywood era and often uses novel technologies with a Classical Hollywood cinema, classical filmmaking styl ...
and J. J. Abrams. His talk has been subtitled in 33 languages and viewed more than a million times. Since then, '' Mars et Avril'' has been sold to the U.S. and is available online.A futuristic tale of fantasy and desire
, BULB, December 2, 2013
In 2014, Villeneuve made his acting debut in his short comedy film ''Imelda'', in the role of his paternal grandmother, for which he won three awards, including the Union des Artistes’ Best Actor Award at the 12th ''Prends ça court !'' Gala (2015). In 2016-2017, he directed the first episodes of the second season of ''Real Detective'' for Investigation
Discovery Channel Discovery Channel, known as The Discovery Channel from 1985 to 1995, and often referred to as simply Discovery, is an American cable channel that is best known for its ongoing reality television shows and promotion of pseudoscience. It init ...
and
Netflix Netflix is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service primarily distributes original and acquired films and television shows from various genres, and it is available internationally in multiple lang ...
. On August 3, 2020, a 14-minute documentary about filmmaker Martin Villeneuve was released online. Directed by Jean Benoit, it features interviews with stage director
Robert Lepage Robert Lepage (born December 12, 1957) is a Canadian playwright, actor, film director, and stage director. Early life Lepage was raised in Quebec City. At age five, he was diagnosed with a rare form of alopecia, which caused complete hair lo ...
, illustrator
François Schuiten François Schuiten (; born 26 April 1956) is a Franco-Belgian comics, Belgian comic book artist. He is best known for drawing the series ''Les Cités Obscures''. Biography François Schuiten was born in Brussels, Belgium, in 1956.De Weyer, Geert ...
and filmmaker
Denis Villeneuve Denis Villeneuve Ordre des Arts et des Lettres, OAL (; ; born October 3, 1967) is a Canadian film director and screenwriter. He has received seven Canadian Screen Awards as well as nominations for four Academy Awards, five BAFTA Awards, and two ...
.''Once Upon A Time Martin Villeneuve'' (English subtitled) on Vimeo
, July 24, 2020
Martin Villeneuve shot two sequels to his short film ''Imelda'', both released in fall 2020. ''Imelda 2: The Notary'' had its world premiere and opened the Quebec City Film Festival on September 16, 2020, and won the Cinémental Award for Best Canadian Short Film 2020. ''Imelda 3: Simone'' had its world premiere and opened the Festival du cinéma international en Abitibi-Témiscamingue on October 31, 2020, in front of a real audience despite the Covid crisis. He gave a one-hour storytelling masterclass for Goalcast, which went live on January 7, 2021. Villeneuve's second feature film, '' The 12 Tasks of Imelda'', which he wrote, directed, produced and starred in, had its world premiere at the Quebec City Film Festival on September 9, 2022, before going into commercial release in 29 theaters across Quebec on October 28, 2022. It was also screened at the 2022 Whistler Film Festival, where it won the award for "Best Editing" in a Borsos Competition film. On March 26, 2023, Villeneuve won the "Best Actor" award at the Festival du Film Canadien de Dieppe, France, for his role of Imelda, and on August 31, 2023, he won the "Best Director" award at the Canada China International Film Festival. In 2023, Martin Villeneuve directed '' Red Ketchup'', based on Quebec’s cult graphic novels. Produced by Sphere Animation, this 20-episode animated series aired on
Adult Swim Adult Swim (stylized as dult swimand s is an American adult-oriented television programming block that airs on Cartoon Network which broadcasts during the evening, prime time, and Late-night television, late-night Dayparting, dayparts. T ...
in English and on Télétoon la nuit in French. Villeneuve also lent his voice to the character of Bill Bélisle in the French version of the show, which held the top spot on Télétoon la nuit and was part of Bubbleblabber’s “Top 10 Adult Animated TV Series For 2023”. In March 2024, he was President of the Jury at Dieppe's Canadian Film Festival, in France. On May 31, 2024, he paid tribute to his brother
Denis Villeneuve Denis Villeneuve Ordre des Arts et des Lettres, OAL (; ; born October 3, 1967) is a Canadian film director and screenwriter. He has received seven Canadian Screen Awards as well as nominations for four Academy Awards, five BAFTA Awards, and two ...
, recipient of the Icon Award at the 12th Canadian Screen Awards. On June 15, 2024, he wrote a manifesto in '' La Presse'', regarding the reform of Quebec's public financing system in cinema. On June 20, 2024, Deadline first reported that Villeneuve was set to direct the supernatural revenge thriller ''Merciless'', starring Jonathan Majors.


Personal life

Martin Villeneuve is the youngest of four siblings, and the brother of filmmaker
Denis Villeneuve Denis Villeneuve Ordre des Arts et des Lettres, OAL (; ; born October 3, 1967) is a Canadian film director and screenwriter. He has received seven Canadian Screen Awards as well as nominations for four Academy Awards, five BAFTA Awards, and two ...
. However, he has carved his own path in the world of filmmaking, highlighting that being "the brother of" didn’t provide him any special advantages or privileges.


Selected bibliography

* ''Mars et Avril, tome 2 : À la poursuite du fantasme'', photo-novel, photography by Yanick Macdonald, Éd. Diesel & la Pastèque, 2006 * ''La voix du tonnerre'', comic book, illustrations by Daniel Svatek, Éd. Les 400 coups, 2004 * ''Mars et Avril, tome 1'', photo-novel, photography by Yanick Macdonald, Éd. Les 400 coups, 2002 (revised version published by Diesel & la Pastèque in 2006)“Mars et Avril” leaps off the pages of graphic novels
, BULB, 2002-2006


Selected filmography

* 2023: '' Red Ketchup'' (animated TV series, 20 episodes) * 2022: '' The 12 Tasks of Imelda (Les 12 travaux d’Imelda)'' (feature) * 2021: ''The Crab: Prelude to Aquarica'' (short) * 2020: ''Imelda 3: Simone'' (short) * 2020: ''Imelda 2: The Notary'' (short) * 2020: ''Once Upon A Time Martin Villeneuve'' (documentary short directed by Jean Benoit, featuring interviews with stage director
Robert Lepage Robert Lepage (born December 12, 1957) is a Canadian playwright, actor, film director, and stage director. Early life Lepage was raised in Quebec City. At age five, he was diagnosed with a rare form of alopecia, which caused complete hair lo ...
, illustrator
François Schuiten François Schuiten (; born 26 April 1956) is a Franco-Belgian comics, Belgian comic book artist. He is best known for drawing the series ''Les Cités Obscures''. Biography François Schuiten was born in Brussels, Belgium, in 1956.De Weyer, Geert ...
and filmmaker
Denis Villeneuve Denis Villeneuve Ordre des Arts et des Lettres, OAL (; ; born October 3, 1967) is a Canadian film director and screenwriter. He has received seven Canadian Screen Awards as well as nominations for four Academy Awards, five BAFTA Awards, and two ...
) * 2020: ''More of the World'' (music video) * 2019: ''It’s Alive!'' (short) * 2016–2017: ''Real Detective'', Season 2 (TV series, 2 episodes) * 2014: ''Imelda'' (short)''Imelda'' on Vimeo with English subtitles
, September 8, 2015
* 2013: ''Martin Villeneuve: How I made an impossible film'' (TED Talks) * 2013: ''The Mars & Avril Experience'' (Making of) * 2012: '' Mars et Avril'' / ''Mars and April'' (feature) * 2011: ''Two Immortals: Prelude to Mars and April'' (short) * 2003–2013:
Cirque du Soleil Cirque du Soleil (, ; ) is a Canadian entertainment company and the largest contemporary circus producer in the world. Located in the inner-city area of Saint-Michel, Montreal, Saint-Michel, Montreal, it was founded in Baie-Saint-Paul on 16 Jun ...
– Advertising & documentary shorts * 2002: ''Jouisseland'' by Jean Leloup (music video) * 2000: ''Chrysanthème'' (short)


Awards and mentions

* 2023: Martin Villeneuve won the "Best Director" award at the Canada China International Film Festival for '' The 12 Tasks of Imelda''. * 2023: Martin Villeneuve won the "Best Actor" award at the Festival du Film Canadien de Dieppe, France, for his role of Imelda in '' The 12 Tasks of Imelda''. * 2022: '' The 12 Tasks of Imelda'' won the award for "Best Editing" in a Borsos Competition film at the 2022 Whistler Film Festival. * 2020: Martin Villeneuve won the Cinémental Award for Best Canadian Short Film 2020 for ''Imelda 2: The Notary'', ex æquo with ''Scars'' by Alex Anna. * 2015: Martin Villeneuve won the Union des Artistes’ Best Actor Award at the 12th ''Prends ça court !'' Gala for his role in ''Imelda'', in which he plays his own grandmother. * 2014: ''Imelda'' won Quebec’s Best Short Film Award at Festival Images en vues, as well as a Special Mention from the jury in the category Best Canadian Short Film at the FICFA. * 2013: Martin Villeneuve gave a TED Talk about '' Mars et Avril'' – Quebec's first science fiction film – at TED2013, thereby becoming the first (and so far the only) French Canadian speaker invited to this prestigious event that took place in Long Beach, California. * 2013: '' Mars et Avril'' received nine nominations in Canada (four at the Canadian Screen Awards and five at the Jutra), including one for best adapted screenplay. The film's music, composed by Benoît Charest, won the Felix in the category "Album of the year – original soundtrack" at the ADISQ Gala.Benoît Charest: How music can set you free
, BULB, December 2, 2013
* 2012–2013: '' Mars et Avril'' was screened in more than twenty international film festivals among the most prestigious (Karlovy Vary, Mill Valley, FNC Montreal, Mumbai, Whistler, Brussels International Fantastic Film Festival, Sci-Fi London, etc.), and won an Imaging the Future Award at the Neuchâtel International Fantasy Film Festival in Switzerland as well as an honorable mention at the Boston Science Fiction Film Festival for "incredible post-production work." * 2011: Applied Arts Award, category "Advertising Photography – Series" for the exhibition "Dieu(X) Modes d'emploi," at the Musée de la civilisation de Québec. * 2011: Grafika Award, category "Affiche culturelle – série" for the exhibition "Dieu(X) Modes d'emploi," at the Musée de la civilisation de Québec. * 2008: We Love Books: A World Tour , The Best in Independent Publishing and Graphic Design: ''Mars et Avril'' volumes 1 & 2. * 2008: Gutenberg Award, category "Books": ''Mars et Avril'' volume 2. * 2007: Nominee, Lux Award, category "Books": ''Mars et Avril'' volume 2. * 2006: Alcuin Society Book Design Awards, category "Prose Illustrated": ''Mars et Avril'' volume 2. * 2004: Nominee, Bédélys Award: ''La voix du tonnerre''. * 2003: Nominee, Grafika Award, category "Books": ''Mars et Avril'' volume 1. * 2002: Honorable mention, Alcuin Society Book Design Awards, category "Pictorial": ''Mars et Avril'' volume 1. * 2002: UQAM-Diesel Award for the quality of the portfolio. * 2002: He designed film posters, most notoriously the one for ''Québec-Montréal'' showing the pictograph of a moose screwing a car, which earned him the Travelling Laurentides Award for best launching campaign. * 2001: Nominee, Création Vidéo Award, Clermont-Ferrand Vidéo Formes Festival (France): ''Chrysanthème'' (short).


References


External links

* *
Martin Villeneuve
on BULB
Martin Villeneuve
on
Vimeo Vimeo ( ) is an American Online video platform, video hosting, sharing, and services provider founded in 2004 and headquartered in New York City. Vimeo focuses on the delivery of high-definition video across a range of devices and operates on a ...

Martin Villeneuve
on Alta-Plana {{DEFAULTSORT:Villeneuve, Martin Living people Canadian screenwriters in French Film producers from Quebec Film directors from Quebec Male actors from Quebec Canadian science fiction film directors Canadian art directors Canadian male film actors People from Centre-du-Québec Screenwriters from Quebec Concordia University alumni Université du Québec à Montréal alumni Year of birth missing (living people)