Denis Villeneuve’s Favorite Movies: 29 Films the Director Wants You to See

Zack Sharf, Alison Foreman and Christian Zilko
·1 min read
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[Editor’s note: The following was first published in February 2021 and has been updated multiple times since.]

Denis Villeneuve has emerged as one of the most visionary directors working in the Hollywood studio system thanks to a string of critically acclaimed films such as “Prisoners,” “Sicario,” “Arrival,” and “Blade Runner 2049.” That’s saying nothing of Villeneuve’s challenging indie fare, from “Enemy” to “Incendies” and more. IndieWire counts “Arrival and “Blade Runner 2049” as two of the greatest science-fiction movies of the 21st century, with the former title landing Villeneuve his first (and so far only) Oscar nomination for Best Director. Next up for Villeneuve is “Dune” (releasing October 1, 2021 in theaters and on HBO Max), but as fans wait for the delayed tentpole they can start catching up on several of the director’s favorite films.

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From “Under the Skin” to “Dogville” (two titles Villeneuve considers benchmarks of 21st century cinema), many of Villeneuve’s favorite films are as narratively daring as his own feature directorial work. In some cases, a favorite film played a part in influencing his own work (see “Dead Ringers” and “Vertigo” leading to “Enemy”). In other cases, a favorite film is the reason he took a gig in the first place (you don’t helm “Blade Runner 2049” without being a Ridley Scott superfan). Check out a collection of Villeneuve’s favorite films below.

 

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