This screening and discussion, marking our first collaboration with the CRBLM interuniversity research center, is sure to be a fascinating one. Linguistics researchers Dr. Jessica Coon and Dr. Morgan Sonderegger will share their expertise and experience as consultants on Denis Villeneuve’s film Arrival.
The screening will be followed by a Q&A with the film's linguistic consultants, Drs Jessica Coon & Morgan Sonderegger
Winner of the Academy Award for Best Sound Editing for Sylvain Bellemare in 2017
Alien spaceships are parked in various locations on Earth. Louise Banks, a high-level linguist, is sent to Montana in an attempt to communicate with the occupants of one of the ships. The misunderstandings that result from these exchanges soon cause chaos in human society, and Louise tries to prevent a disaster by forging a profound relationship with the aliens.
Denis Villeneuve
Denis Villeneuve is a Quebecois director, screenwriter, and producer from Bécancour. At 23, he won Course destination monde (1990-1991), a show where contestants made short films while traveling to various regions of the world. This victory earned him a bill to make a film with the NFB. In 1998, he wrote and directed his first feature film, August 32nd on Earth, which was screened at more than 35 festivals, including the Cannes Film Festival and TIFF. His second film, Maelström (2000), won more than 25 awards, including the FIPRESCI Prize at the Berlin International Film Festival and the Genie Award for Best Film in 2001. After the success of Incendies (2010), adapted from a popular play by Wajdi Mouawad, he began transitioning to Hollywood. He directed several critically acclaimed films, including the thrillers Prisoners (2013) and Sicario (2015), as well as the science fiction films Arrival (2016) and Blade Runner 2049 (2017). His film Dune (2021), adapted from the eponymous novel by Frank Herbert, was a critical and commercial success internationally. The film won six Academy Awards and earned Denis Villeneuve nominations for Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Picture. He directed a sequel, released in 2024, and is already planning a third installment to complete the trilogy.
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