And on February 28, the Visual Effects Society will honour him with its VES Lifetime Achievement Award at the eighth annual VES Awards. “James Cameron is one of the most visceral storytellers working in cinema today, and Avatar is one of the most ambitious projects ever,” SBIFF executive director Roger Durling said.

“James Cameron has set the gold standard for storytelling by combining true creative artistry along with the latest advances in technology to bring incredible stories to the screen,” VES executive director Eric Roth said.

“Over the past few decades he has been the pre-eminent director of big vision, big story extravaganzas and has redefined the moviegoing experience for filmgoers worldwide.” Avatar releases worldwide on December 18.