Mars & Avril: Making the Impossible Sci-Fi Movie

Mars & Avril is a full-length science fiction film made by Martin Villeneuve set in Montreal in the year 2063, where the subway line runs to Mars. The film was made on a tiny budget of just $2.3 million. We shared the first trailer and Villeneuve’s TED talk, where he discusses the making of the film on a small budget, previously.

Villeneuve discusses the making of the film “that was impossible to make” in his TED talk. It took seven years to make the film. Villeneuve explains, “When you don’t have money, you must take time. The more problems we had, the better the film got.” When Villeneuve needed seven mythical musical instruments — inspired by women’s bodies — made for the film, he sold the yet-to-be-created instruments to Cirque du Soleil and was able to use them in the film first.

The good news is that the film has been sold in the U.S. and will soon get a digital release. You can also purchase the DVD on Amazon Canada or watch the film on iTunes.