James Cameron is no stranger to being outspoken in his criticism of Hollywood’s priorities, and this latest salvo takes aim at Hollywood’s most esteemed institution: The Academy Awards. In an interview with The Globe and Mail, Cameron is highly critical of The Academy’s historical hesitation to completely validate science fiction as an art form in film, using Denis Villeneuve‘s pattern of not being considered for directing awards for “Dune” and “Dune: Part Two” as his example.
In the case of Cameron, award considerations have little bearing with regard to his work. Cameron himself stated that he does not produce, direct, and market films with the intention of winning awards, namely Oscars, particularly within the field of sci-fi. Cameron believes that films such as “Avatar” will never be properly acknowledged by the Academy.
Awards vs. audiences
Cameron made the point that Villeneuve’s absence in best director competitions in both Dune releases indicates that the larger problem lies in the favoring of the entertainment industry towards genre films. Villeneuve could not receive nominations despite being praised extensively, with Cameron considering this indicative of the entertainment industry’s disregard for genre films. “You can play the awards game,” Cameron explained, “or you can make movies people actually go to.”
These comments echo the frustration that has long been felt by creators back in the filmmaking community who believe that the award for science fiction is still grossly underrated every year. Although the Dune series was honored in all fields of science, it was conspicuous that it was not among the nominated best directors, even considering director Denis Villeneuve’s reputation as a perfectionist visual storyteller.
A director who knows the system
Cameron’s remarks are especially insightful in light of his own Academy Award history. Titanic received 14 nominations and took home 11 Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Director, and it is amongst the most awarded films in Academy Award history. Cameron has had the opportunity to observe his Avatar titles lead the box office around the globe without participating in the major awards, and this further solidifies his conviction that popular and prestigious cannot be the same.
The snubbing of Villeneuve films has emerged as a rallying cry for creatives and performers, such as Josh Brolin, who publicly condemned the Academy’s decisions. Cameron’s statements express that same frustration, making Cameron appear as the champion of high-end genre filmmaking. While Avatar: Fire and Ash continues onto the next phase of its box office stint, Cameron has made one thing abundantly clear: awards are for institutions, and audiences deem their own value by showing up.
As far as Cameron is concerned, the future of cinema has nothing to do with awards, but with drive, risk, and imagination. Science fiction, in particular, remains the genre that has the best opportunity available to tap into the hopes, fears, and contradictions of humanity, even if the awards organizations have not caught up with that. When Cameron champions people like Villeneuve, he is clearly taking a stand with regard to the difference between critical success and relevance, the former having nothing on the latter with regard to the history that the movies make.
