“Denis, Denis, Denis,” chanted the fans gathered inside the Scotiabank Cinema before the arrival of the Quebec director.
His new film, Dune: Part Twowas presented for the first time in Canada on Wednesday evening, and nearly 600 people had the chance to attend one of the two special screenings.
The viewing was preceded by a red carpet event, or rather sand or Spice colored, on which Denis Villeneuve, producer Tanya Lapointe and production designer Patrice Vermette paraded. They were very happy to present their new work “at home”, after having visited New York, Seoul, Abu Dhabi, London, Paris and Mexico in recent weeks.
“I told Warner Bros. : “I’m going to take it on my time, but I absolutely want a screening in Montreal,” indicated Denis Villeneuve.
-
PHOTO DOMINICK GRAVEL, THE PRESS
Patrice Vermette, production designer, Tanya Lapointe, producer and Denis Villeneuve, director
-
PHOTO DOMINICK GRAVEL, THE PRESS
Fans were visibly happy to be able to meet a filmmaker they admire.
-
PHOTO DOMINICK GRAVEL, THE PRESS
The famous bowl of promotional popcorn from Dunewhich has caused so much discussion on social networks…
-
PHOTO DOMINICK GRAVEL, THE PRESS
Denis Villeneuve surrounded by his parents, Nicole and Jean
-
PHOTO DOMINICK GRAVEL, THE PRESS
Moment of complicity between Denis Villeneuve and Tanya Lapointe. The cinematic duo is also a couple in life.
-
PHOTO DOMINICK GRAVEL, THE PRESS
Even cinema employees wanted to have their photo taken with Denis Villeneuve.
1/6
It’s the ultimate test to come and present it in front of my boyfriends, my friends, in front of people who are direct, honest and frank. Quebecers have no filter! I am very happy that the Canadian premiere will be in Montreal.
Denis Villeneuve
The filmmaker also noted that this is the end of a journey. For his partner, Tanya Lapointe, who is also a producer, this moment is significant. “These are chapters in our lives that we share with the actors and all the artisans. Some, like Patrice Vermette, have been part of our lives since 2018, so it’s moving to close the file. If there is a third part eventually, I hope to relive this experience with this amazing team. »
PHOTO DOMINICK GRAVEL, THE PRESS
Wednesday evening, at the Scotiabank Cinema, the media had the opportunity to ask Denis Villeneuve a few questions.
The production designer assured us that he would “follow” Denis Villeneuve anywhere. After winning an Oscar for the first part, Patrice Vermette stressed that his biggest challenge for the sequel was to “take the film elsewhere visually without deviating from the invented visual language”. “I had so much fun with the Harkonnens! » About the people inhabiting Giedi Prime, he confirmed to us that the black and white effect of their planet is the result of the light of their black sun. “It’s an idea from Denis and Greg Fraser [le directeur photo]. It’s an infrared camera that does the twist,” he explained.
Sick actors, optimistic predictions
Timothée Chalamet, who plays the lead role of Paul Atreides, was also scheduled to be in Montreal on Wednesday. Unfortunately, illness prevented him from doing so.
“Timothy is very ill. Everyone started dropping like flies. He is not alone: Zendaya no longer had a voice. Austin is sick too. We walked around a lot. […] Warner went all out [pour la promotion] and believes a lot in the film. It’s nice ! », explained Denis Villeneuve.
Selon le site Deadline, Dune : Part Two pourrait engranger des recettes mondiales de 170 millions au cours de son premier week-end d’exploitation.
[Le box-office] is one of my concerns. The predictions scare me a little, because it starts to put pressure on the film. But the buzz is very strong […] Films exist when they are seen.
Denis Villeneuve
One of our favorite Denis Villeneuve quotes came when he explained why he decided to make a sequel to Blade Runner. Unpretentiously and kindly, he said he wanted to avoid someone else doing it and missing out (“ I didn’t want someone else to fuck it up”). We asked him if his approach was similar for Dune.
“The approach was different because Blade Runner required stepping back into someone else’s shoes. To go to a world that I loved and which had inspired me so much. Whereas this time it was like a blank canvas. Dune doesn’t belong to me. There are other people who are probably going to make films in this universe one day. It’s not the same kind of pressure. »
-
PHOTO DOMINICK GRAVEL, THE PRESS
Paige Jacobson came from Toronto to attend the Canadian premiere of Dune: Part Two. “After seeing the first one, I told myself that I had to read the book to know this universe. I loved the cinematography and how the political aspect was told. »
-
PHOTO DOMINICK GRAVEL, THE PRESS
Safia Diani-Bernier and Aïcha Bastien-N’Diaye were optimistic that their high expectations would be met after being “marked” by the initial part. “I was particularly touched by the absence of words. Enjoying images without there always being a dialogue to support them, I found that really pleasant,” mentioned Aïcha.
-
PHOTO DOMINICK GRAVEL, THE PRESS
Thomas Lagloire and Maria Decubellis expected a “very intense” sequel. “The first one was really good and ended on a suspenseful note. I hope the ending will be good,” they wished together.
-
PHOTO DOMINICK GRAVEL, THE PRESS
Many fans of the world of Frank Herbet and the films of Denis Villeneuve lined up during the day in order to have good seats for the two screenings of Dune: Part TwoWednesday evening.
-
PHOTO MARCO CAMPANOZZI, THE PRESS
Sébastien Yergeau, Daniel Dessureault and Kaitlyn Friedman didn’t take any risks and set up early in the morning.
1/5
Dune: Part Two takes the poster on 1er March, but several cinemas offer performances on February 29.