In his film "Mars et Avril," Martin Villeneuve brings his sci-fi romance graphic novel to glorious life.

Why you should listen

The musician who plays otherworldly music on one-of-a-kind instruments, the genius who designs the instruments inspired by a woman's body, and the photographer they both love. An old-fashioned love triangle is at the heart of Mars et Avril, a bold and dreamy sci-fi story set in a future Montreal where the Champ-de-Mars subway line takes you right out to Mars. While many sci-fi films have budgets exceeding 100 million dollars, this incredible arthouse version was made for just two million dollars thanks to the bold creativity of filmmaker Martin Villeneuve.

By taking his time on the project, asking the best creatives for favors and approaching problems as exciting challenges, Villeneuve has made a movie that seemed impossible. The film has shown at festivals, was sold to the US and is now available online. Villeneuve made the movie based on his two eponymous graphic novels.

Villeneuve is the former artistic director for the ad agency Sid Lee that works with Cirque du Soleil. 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, The 12 Tasks of Imelda, hit festivals and theaters in Fall 2022. Among other projects, he is now directing Red Ketchup, an animated series for Adult Swim.

Martin Villeneuve’s TED talk

More news and ideas from Martin Villeneuve

Entertainment

10 jaw-dropping images from the film “Mars et Avril,” and how the magic was created

June 7, 2013

Science-fiction films do not come cheap. Star Trek Into Darkness reportedly had a budget of $190 million, while the Will and Jaden Smith vehicle After Earth, which opens this weekend, cost $130 million. (Side note: Jaden Smith recently shared with New York Magazine that his dad watches “hours and hours of TED Talks.”) That’s why it’s so thoroughly amazing that Mars […]

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Entertainment

A sci-fi film with a $2 million budget: Martin Villeneuve at TED2013

February 27, 2013

Martin Villeneuve’s Mars et Avril is a luscious sci-fi film, set in Montreal 50 years in future, where the subway line takes you straight to Mars. It’s a dreamy love story in which the acting is top-notch, the shots are stunning and the visual effects unreal. And Villeneuve made it all for $2.3 million. To put that in perspective, […]

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News

Create!: The speakers in Session 6 at TED2013

February 27, 2013

Once you dream, you have to do. The speakers in Session 6 have spent their careers giving form to ideas. They are makers, builders, artists and implementers — all with fascinating ideas about what it means to be a creative person. The speakers who appeared in this session. Click on their name to read a […]

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