Filmmaker Salomé Villeneuve blazes own unique path

At 26 years old, Quebec filmmaker Salomé Villeneuve, BFA 20, quickly caught the attention of the film world with her critically hailed 12-minute short III. The film had its world premiere in September 2022 at the prestigious Venice Film Festival, where it competed as the only Canadian entry in the Horizons competition.

“The experience was completely surreal,” says Villeneuve, a graduate of Concordia’s Film Production program. “Making the film was an extraordinary, all-consuming learning experience. I so was focused on making the film that when I learned it would premiere in Venice, it was an enormous surprise. I loved my experience at the festival, where I really enjoyed meeting other young and inspiring filmmakers.”

Among her major influences, Villeneuve cites such auteurs as Werner Herzog, Lynne Ramsay and Hayao Miyazaki.

“I had many filmmaking role models while growing up,” says Villeneuve. “When I was a teenager, I decided I wanted to make films, too, and was blown away by the visuals of Wong Kar-wai’s films — especially Chungking Express (1994), Fallen Angels (1995) and Happy Together (1997). His work encouraged me to experiment with the camera.”

Villeneuve says that while her family did not watch television at home when she was growing up, they did watch films nearly every night of the week. “I enjoyed the storytelling aspect of those evenings with my parents — so much that I began writing stories.”

When she wrote III — which tells the story of three siblings who encounter death for the first time through contact with nature on a hot summer day — Villeneuve was partially inspired by her relationships with her two brothers. “I have always been fascinated by the dynamics of conflict, and my film allowed me to explore the intense emotions of childhood,” she says.

‘Fundamental know-how’ gained at Concordia