Denis Villeneuve’s 20 favourite movies
Denis Villeneuve has entered a new phase of his career after directing one of the biggest cinematic epic franchises in recent memory: Dune. Though he had already crafted masterpieces like Incendies and Polytechnique, Villeneuve has steadily moved into the mainstream and now stands as an indispensable figure in contemporary cinema.
Villeneuve’s journey towards becoming one of the most prominent filmmakers of our time has also coincided with his entry into the sci-fi genre. Starting with his 2016 hit Arrival, Villeneuve has gone on to make other acclaimed sci-fi projects, such as Blade Runner 2049, and he recently reinforced that run with Dune and Dune: Part Two.
Although many filmmakers were reluctant to adapt Dune for the big screen after David Lynch’s bizarre effort in 1984, Villeneuve did not hesitate and trusted his own artistic vision. While Lynch enormously influenced him on his cinematic journey, Villeneuve consciously avoided the previous Dune.
Throughout his life, Villeneuve had many formative cinematic experiences that reignited his love for film. One of the most significant was Stanley Kubrick’s 1968 magnum opus 2001: A Space Odyssey, which he first watched as a child—peering from the staircase of his home. That early glimpse left a lasting impression, helping shape his passion for the medium.
“Then I saw the entire film on television and was struck by the sense of vertigo that he managed to create,” the director recalled. “It became my favourite film. Rediscovering it at the festival, in 70mm, was a special moment for me…Science fiction appeals to me because it allows you to tackle difficult subjects such as religion, or other aspects of society that are off-limits, with a great deal of freedom and distance.”
Villeneuve has also expressed admiration for modern pioneers, particularly Christopher Nolan. He has consistently praised Nolan’s work and even called Tenet a masterpiece despite its mixed reception from fans. That level of respect is reflected in Villeneuve’s personal list of favourite films, where multiple Nolan projects feature among his chosen cinematic gems.
Among these pioneering works, Akira Kurosawa’s Seven Samurai had a profound impact on Villeneuve, who used it as a source of reference while making his 2015 crime thriller Sicario. Kurosawa taught Villeneuve how to maintain cinematic tension by amplifying the anticipation of action.
“For me, it was my reference as I was doing Sicario,” Villeneuve revealed. “The pressure of time, to stretch time just long enough so you create the necessary tension. The thing I love is that, when you look at it from a certain angle, there are moments where people are on the edge of their seat when watching Sicario — but nothing is happening!”
Check out the full list below.
Denis Villeneuve’s 20 favourite movies:
- Vertigo (Alfred Hitchcock, 1958)
- No Country For Old Men (Coen brothers, 2007)
- 2001: A Space Odyssey (Stanley Kubrick, 1968)
- Children of Men (Alfonso Cuarón, 2006)
- Dead Ringers (David Cronenberg, 1988)
- The Square (Ruben Östlund, 2017)
- There Will Be Blood (Paul Thomas Anderson, 2007)
- mother! (Darren Aronofsky, 2017)
- A Star Is Born (Bradley Cooper, 2018)
- Seven Samurai (Akira Kurosawa, 1954)
- The Beguiled (Sofia Coppola, 2017)
- Inception (Christopher Nolan, 2010)
- Blade Runner (Ridley Scott, 1982)
- Amores Perros (Alejandro González Iñárritu, 2000)
- Dogtooth (Yorgos Lanthimos, 2009)
- Dogville (Lars von Trier, 2003)
- Close Encounters of the Third Kind (Steven Spielberg, 1977)
- Under the Skin (Jonathan Glazer, 2013)
- A Prophet (Jacques Audiard, 2009)
- Dunkirk (Christopher Nolan, 2017)
