Dune Director Denis Villeneuve Says ‘Future Generations Will Judge Us’ for Climate Change: ‘It’s About Survival’

Dune director Denis Villeneuve issued a harsh climate change warning following his film’s premiere at the Venice Film Festival.

While taking questions at a press conference following Dune’s first screening, Villeneuve confirmed that there is political commentary attached to his film, which is an adaption of Frank Herbert’s 1965 novel of the same name.

“When Frank Herbert wrote Dune in the 60s, back then it was doing a portrait of the 20th century, but I think it became more and more of a prediction of what will happen in the 21st,” the director said. “And sadly, the book is by far more relevant today.”

Villeneuve then warned listeners of the “danger of messianic figures, the impact of colonialism,” and more generally, “the problem with the environment.”

Herbert’s Dune is often hailed as a climate fiction pioneer, as the space epic heavily explores ecology, environmentalism, and the impending effects of climate change.

Villeneuve went on to say that Herbert’s novel left a lasting impression on him, especially as its message on the climate continues to become more relevant through time.

“I wish it was not the case, but I think the movie will speak to the world right now more than it would have done 40 years ago,” he said. “I will say about the environment… future generations will judge us.”

“I think it’s time to get angry right now—to push, to make changes. I still have hope, and I think it’s time to get into action,” he continued. “As an example, there’s an election right now in Canada. They don’t talk enough about the environment. That should be the priority! That’s the thing that we should talk about in this election right now, and they don’t talk about it that much. It’s just, like, another subject—but it should be the subject. I don’t want to be moralistic, but I think it’s about survival. And that’s what this book is about: survival.”

Watch above, via YouTube.