Director Denis Villeneuve's latest film Maelstrom won five awards at last week's Genie Awards, including best picture and best director. Not bad for a 32-year-old writer/director with only a handful of films under his belt. Villeneuve sat down to talk with Canada AM's Dan Matheson and told him that the awards are nice but they're not very important.

When I make a film I am not thinking about awards. But when I do win them, I'm very, very honoured and very proud to win them, Villeneueve said.

He says it was a real challenge to write a film with a woman as the central character but one he enjoyed.

Women have a big place in my life; I am surrounded by many women. I find that when I write for a woman, I can get very close but keep my distance at the same time. To be honest, I am wondering why I have written my first two movies for women and am wondering if I will do it again. But I feel close to women and I'm fascinated by them.

Villeneuve says he was very lucky with the casting of Marie-Jos(C)e Croze, who had to carry the film.

She's very talented and it's a very difficult part to play. The character is not very likable at the beginning and the viewer feels a lot of distance from her. The goal was to slowly get to know her and understand her. It was a difficult part to play and Marie-Josee did it very well. And I'm happy that the Genies recognized the big task that Marie-Josee had in the role.

So why the talking fish in the film?

Everyone asks about that device. But the fish is not very important. It's a symbol about the relationship between storytelling and death. But it's not very important.

And what does Villeneuve want people to feel at the end of the film?

It's a dark film, I know. But it's about fate and redemption and responsibility to be vigilant in the way we interpret the world, Villeneuve says.