Born in Gentilly, Quebec, in 1967, Denis Villeneuve made his name in Québécois cinema with Polytechnique (2009), about the 1989 Montreal massacre, and Incendies (2010), an Oscar-nominated drama about twins tracing their mother's past in the Middle East. He moved to Hollywood with Prisoners (2013) and Sicario (2015), before turning to large-scale science fiction: Arrival (2016), Blade Runner 2049 (2017), and the two-part adaptation of Frank Herbert's Dune (2021, 2024). He is known for slow, atmospheric, large-scale films and for working with the cinematographer Roger Deakins and the composer Hans Zimmer.
Filmography
- Incendies (2010)
- Prisoners (2013)
- Arrival (2016)
- Blade Runner 2049 (2017)
- Dune (2021)