Biography
Montreal-based Martin Villeneuve is a multifaceted screenwriter, director, producer, and actor known for his uncanny ability to push boundaries. He is the youngest of four siblings, with an 11-year age gap between him and his eldest brother, Denis Villeneuve.
Martin studied film production at Concordia University and graphic design at Université du Québec à Montréal. He began his career as a writer and graphic artist in 2002. His comic book "La voix du tonnerre" and his graphic novels "Mars et Avril" (volumes 1 & 2) were released to critical acclaim. Martin then worked for 10 years as a Creative Director in advertising, creating campaigns for several Cirque du Soleil shows including "Zumanity," "KÀ" and "Corteo". He also directed TV commercials for Cirque, in addition to music videos and documentary shorts, yet his first love always remained film.
In 2012, he wrote, directed, and produced his debut feature film, Mars and April (2012), based on his graphic novels and starring Caroline Dhavernas of Hannibal (2013), and internationally renowned stage director Robert Lepage. This pioneering sci-fi drama received 10 nominations, including one for "Best Adapted Screenplay" at the Canadian Screen Awards, and toured in over 20 festivals worldwide, starting with its world premiere in Karlovy Vary. Mars and April (2012) has been described by io9 as "one of the most beautiful, and immersive, sci-fi worlds ever put on film." The inventiveness of the film's production led to a TED Talk in Long Beach, California, making Martin the third filmmaker to receive the invitation - the other two being James Cameron and J.J. Abrams. So far, he is the first and only TED speaker to come out of Quebec. His TED Talk, Martin Villeneuve: How I made an impossible film (2013), has been subtitled in 33 languages and viewed over a million times.
In 2015, Martin won Union des Artistes' "Best Actor" award for his performance in his short comedy film Imelda (2014), in which he plays his own grandmother. His second feature film, the dramedy Les 12 travaux d'Imelda (2022) - starring Robert Lepage, Ginette Reno, Michel Barrette, Anne-Marie Cadieux, and himself as Imelda - had its world premiere at the QCFF, and hit theaters across Quebec in October 2022. The movie was also screened at the 2022 Whistler Film Festival, where it won the award for "Best Editing" in a Borsos Competition film. In 2023, Villeneuve won the "Best Actor" award at the Dieppe Canadian Film Festival in France, for his role of Imelda, as well as the "Best Director" award at the Canada China International Film Festival.
Martin Villeneuve was the showrunner, co-writer, and director of Red Ketchup (2023), a dark comedy based on Quebec's cult graphic novels. Produced by Sphere Animation, this 20-episode animated series aired on Adult Swim 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 during its broadcast.
In 2024, Martin served as President of the Jury at the Dieppe Canadian Film Festival. At the 12th Canadian Screen Awards, he paid tribute to his brother Denis, who received the Icon Award. He also penned a manifesto in La Presse, addressing the need for reform in Quebec's public financing system for cinema.
Among other projects, Villeneuve is currently working on Imelda contre-attaque, starring Benoît Brière, Robert Lepage, Michel Barrette, Anne-Marie Cadieux, Martin Dubreuil, and Louise Forestier.
