Forget war — filmmaker Denis Villeneuve cares more about how human conflict is its own battle
Revisit the Québécois cinema pioneer in conversation with George Stroumboulopoulos about his Oscar-nominated breakthrough thriller 'Incendies'.
'It's not war that I'm interested in — it's family'
Denis Villeneuve's latest film, the hotly-anticipated action flick Blade Runner 2049, is due to be released this October. But before that, the pioneering Quebec filmmaker made his mark in Canadian Screen Award-winning features such as Polytechnique and Incendies — the latter of which is featured on this week's episode of The Filmmakers.
Back in 2011, the director spoke with George Stroumboulopoulos to dig into Incendies — newly released at the time — and what inspires him to create such action-filled and thrilling movies. Villeneuve says that despite his work's often war-based themes, he is not inspired by war itself but by the human condition and the way interpersonal conflict is a battle all to itself.
When you have the chance to use a camera, you have to use it in order to talk about something that is very important to you.- Denis Villeneuve, filmmaker
The movie — which went on to win a Canadian Screen Award for Best Motion Picture — will be featured on this week's episode of The Filmmakers. Tune in this Saturday to find out more about why it's such an important part of the Canadian film canon.
Watch The Filmmakers this Saturday at 9pm (9:30pm NT) on CBC Television or online at cbc.ca/watch, followed by Denis Villeneuve's Incendies.