Martin Villeneuve - Demo Reel 2022
Cirque du Soleil alumnus and TED speaker Martin Villeneuve is a Montreal-based screenwriter, director, actor and producer. With a strong background in advertising, he has directed numerous commercials for Cirque du Soleil, in addition to music videos, short films and series. His feature film debut, the pioneering sci-fi romance "Mars & Avril," starring Caroline Dhavernas ("Hannibal") and internationally renowned stage director Robert Lepage, cost only a stunning $2.3 million CAD to produce. The film received 10 nominations including one for "Best Adapted Screenplay" at the Canadian Screen Awards, and toured in 20 festivals worldwide, starting with a World Premiere in Karlovy Vary. "Mars & Avril" has been described by io9 as "one of the most beautiful, and immersive, sci-fi worlds ever put on film." Also, it brought Martin to TED where he became the first (and so far, the only) speaker to come out of Quebec, and the third filmmaker to give a TED Talk after James Cameron and J.J. Abrams. His talk has been subtitled in 32 languages and viewed more than a million times. In 2014, he won an award for his performance in his short film "Imelda," for which he shot two sequels released in 2020. His second feature film, "Les 12 travaux d'Imelda" - starring Robert Lepage, Ginette Reno, Michel Barrette, Lynda Beaulieu, Antoine Bertrand, Marc-François Blondin, Anne-Marie Cadieux and Yves Jacques - had its world premiere at the QCFF, and will hit theaters across Quebec in October 2022. Also, he is currently writing and directing the "Red Ketchup" animated series, to be aired on Adult Swim in 2023.