Villeneuve studied cinema at the University du Québec à Montréal. Post-graduation, Villeneuve began his career making short films. In 1991, he won Radio-Canada's youth film competition, La Course Europe-Asie.
Seven years later, Villeneuve wrote and directed his first feature: the 1998 Canadian drama film 'August 32nd on Earth'.
The film premiered in the Un Certain Regard section at the 51st Cannes Film Festival in May of that same year.
The following year, 'August 32nd on Earth' was selected as the Canadian entry for the Best Foreign Language Film. However, it was not nominated. This occurred at the 71st Academy Awards in late March 1999.
One year later, Villeneuve wrote and directed his second film. This was the 2000 Canadian romantic drama film 'Maelström'. The feature later attracted further attention and screened at festivals worldwide.
It later won the award for Best Canadian Film from the 25th Toronto International Film Festival in September of that same year.
Nine years later, Villeneuve followed that up with the controversial, but critically acclaimed 2009 Canadian black and white drama/crime film 'Polytechnique'.
The film received numerous honors. It later won nine Genie Awards, becoming Villeneuve's first film to win one Genie Award (now known as a Canadian Screen Award) for Best Motion Picture. This occurred at the 30th Genie Awards in mid-April 2010.
The Genie Awards were given out annually by the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television to recognize the best of Canadian cinema (1980–2012). They succeeded the Canadian Film Awards.
The following month, 'Polytechnique' premiered at the 62nd Cannes Film Festival in May of that same year.
In September, Villeneuve directed his fourth film. This was the 2010 Canadian drama/mystery war film 'Incendies' (French for 'Fires').
it premiered at the 67th Venice International Film Festival and the 35th Toronto International Film Festival, both held in September.
The following year, in January 2011, Villeneuve was selected by Variety as one of the top ten filmmakers to watch.
Also, in 2011, Villeneuve won the National Arts Centre Award in Ottawa, Ontario at the National Arts Centre (NAC).
One month later, 'Incendies' was subsequently chosen to represent Canada at the Oscars in the category of Best Foreign Language Film.
It was eventually nominated for the award, though it did not win. This occurred at the 83rd Academy Awards in late February 2011.
The following month, 'Incendies' won eight Genie Awards. This occurred at the 31st Genie Awards in mid-March 2011.
Two years later, Villeneuve followed up 'Incendies' with his fifth film. This was the 2013 American crime thriller film 'Prisoners'.
Starring Hugh Jackman and Jake Gyllenhaal, the film later screened at festivals across the globe, winning several awards.
One year later, 'Prisoner' was nominated for an Oscar for Best Cinematography (Roger Deakins). However, it didn't win. This occurred at the 86th Academy Awards in early May 2014.
Following 'Incendies' and 'Prisoners', Villeneuve directed his sixth film. This was the 2014 Canadian-Spanish psychological thriller film 'Enemy'.
The film was awarded the $100,000 cash prize for best Canadian Film of the Year by the Toronto Film Critics Association at the 40th Toronto Film Festival in September 2015.
Later that same year, Villeneuve directed his seventh film. This was the 2015 American action/crime drama/thriller film 'Sicario' (Spanish for 'Hitman').
The film was scripted by American screenwriter, director and actor Taylor Sheridan ('Hell or High Water'), and starred Emily Blunt, Benicio del Toro, Josh Brolin and Daniel Kaluuya.
'Sicario' competed for the Palme d'Or at the 68th Cannes Film Festival in May of that same were, though it did not win.
It later screened at the 40th Toronto Film Festival in September and went on to gross $84.9 million at the box office.
In February 2015, it was announced that Villeneuve would direct the 2017 American neo-noir science fiction drama/mystery film 'Blade Runner 2049'.
This would be the sequel to Ridley Scott's 1982 American science fiction/fantasy action thriller film 'Blade Runner'.
In 2016, Villeneuve directed his eighth feature and also the first film of which he is best known.
This was the 2016 American sci-fi/thriller film 'Arrival'. It was based on American science fiction writer Ted Chiang's 1998 science fiction novella "Story of Your Life".
The film stars Amy Adams as expert linguistics professor Dr. Louise Banks, Jeremy Renner as physicist Ian Donnelly and Forest Whitaker as U.S. Army Colonel G.T. Weber.
On a budget of $47 million, 'Arrival' grossed $203.4 million at the box office. It also received critical acclaim, specifically for Adams's performance, Villeneuve's direction, and the film's exploration of communicating with extraterrestrial intelligence (CETI).
'Arrival' had its world premiere at the 73rd Venice International Film Festival, where it won three awards.
The film later appeared on numerous critics' best films of the year lists, and was selected by the American Film Institute as one of ten films of the year.
The following year, 'Arrival' received eight Oscar nominations but won only one for Best Sound Editing. This occurred at the 89th Academy Awards in late February 2017.
In October of that same year, 'Blade Runner 2049' was released. This was the second and final film of which Villeneuve is best known. On a budget of $150–185 million, the film grossed $260.5 million at the box office.
Like its predecessor, 'Blade Runner 2049' was based off of American science fiction writer Philip K. Dick's 1968 philosophical/dystopian fiction novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?.
One year later, 'Blade Runner 2049' was nominated for five Oscars but received only two. This was for Best Cinematography (Roger Deakins) and Best Visual Effects. This occurred at the 90th Academy Awards in early March 2018.
According to Villeneuve's personal life, he is married to Canadian journalist, author, producer and director Tanya Lapointe.
Lapointe has served as an assistant to her husband in post-production for 'Arrival' an also as an assistant for her husband for 'Blade Runner 2049'. She is currently serving as executive producer on the post-production of 'Dune'.
Villeneuve also has three children from a previous relationship. His younger brother, French Canadian screenwriter, producer, director, actor, and art director, Martin Villeneuve, is also a filmmaker.
Villenuve has been active from 1990–present.
