Robert Sparrow-Downes (York University)

Yasmina Jaksic (York University)

With his most recent film Dune (2021), Denis Villeneuve has solidified himself as one of today’s most versatile and successful directors. Though his recent efforts—Arrival (2016), Blade Runner 2049 (2017), and Dune (2021)—have all been science fiction blockbusters, his earlier films were more diverse in genre. Villeneuve’s body of work can be conceived of in three phases: French-Canadian dramas, various types of thrillers, and science fiction. Across each of these phases, certain themes and motifs have emerged and re-emerged—such as the temporal disruptions (and subsequent resolutions of balance) that occur in Maelström (2000) and Arrival (2016), to the complication of maternity in Un 32 août sur terre (1998), Arrival (2016), and Blade Runner 2049 (2017).

This panel seeks proposals on any of Villeneuve’s films. Paper topics can include but are not limited to: conceptions of language, temporality, identity, memory, maternity, the posthuman, adaptation, and war. Proposals that engage with the theme of NeMLA 2022, “Resilience,” are highly encouraged.

This panel explores the films of Denis Villeneuve, whose body of work can be examined in three phases: French-Canadian dramas, various types of thrillers, and science fiction. Discussion of language, temporality, identity, memory, maternity, the posthuman, adaptation, war, or NeMLA’s theme of "Resilience" is encouraged.