Anne-Marie Gélinas

Producer
Writer
Production Manager

Martin Villeneuve's feature film debut, the pioneering sci-fi romance "Mars et Avril," was based on his graphic novels. Starring Caroline Dhavernas of "Hannibal," and internationally renowned stage director Robert Lepage, the movie cost only a stunning $2.3 million CAD to produce. This effects-laden vision of the future received 10 nominations including one for "Best Adapted Screenplay" at the Canadian Screen Awards, and toured in 20 festivals worldwide, starting with a World Premiere in Karlovy Vary. "Mars et Avril" has been described by io9 as "one of the most beautiful, and immersive, sci-fi worlds ever put on film." In addition, the sheer inventiveness of the film's production won Martin an invitation to give a TED Talk in Long Beach, California, in February 2013. So far, he is the first and only TED speaker to come out of Quebec. His talk, "How I made an impossible film," has been subtitled in 31 languages and viewed more than a million times. It is part of TED's movie magic list, featuring famed directors James Cameron and J.J. Abrams. "Canadian filmmaker Martin Villeneuve talks about "Mars et Avril," the sci-fi spectacular he made with virtually no money over a seven-year stretch. In this charming talk, he explains the various ways he overcame financial and logistical constraints to produce his unique and inventive vision of the future." - TED

Play clip10:53

Martin Villeneuve: How I made an impossible film (TED2013) - French subtitled

Anne-Marie Gélinas received the Denis Héroux Award in 2025 from the Fantasia International Film Festival for her "exceptional contribution to the development of Quebec genre cinema." Her distinctive and diverse filmography of more than 30 features has reached audiences in Quebec, across Canada, and internationally. Founder of EMAfilms, she has produced award-winning dramas: Paradise (2026), Jérémy Comte’s (Fauve) debut narrative feature, selected at Berlinale/Panorama; Beans (2021), Tracey Deer’s debut narrative feature, selected at Berlinale/Generation and winner of the Crystal Bear, also winner of Best Feature Film at the Canadian Screen Awards, among many others; compelling documentaries: À Travers Tes Yeux (2025), Brigitte Poupart’s (Over My Dead Body) feature documentary, premiered at Cinémania; Chienne de Vie (2015), Hélène Choquette’s feature documentary, premiered at Hot Docs; and acclaimed genre films: Elsa Kephart’s Slaxx (2020), premiered at Fantasia and won Best Monster at FrightFest; Turbo Kid (2015), premiered at Sundance and was selected at festivals around the world.