James Cameron has never been one to play by Hollywood's rulebook, and the filmmaker has made it clear that awards are not what drive his creative process. Speaking candidly, the Avatar director said he intentionally avoids thinking about the Academy Awards while making films, choosing instead to focus on stories that draw audiences to theatres. "I also don't think about the Academy Awards that much," Cameron explained, adding that he doesn't try to shape his films to fit what awards bodies traditionally favour. According to him, genres like science fiction are rarely given their due recognition, despite their scale, innovation, and impact. "They don't tend to honor films like Avatar," he said, pointing out how sci-fi often gets sidelined in major award categories. James Cameron when asked about the Oscars:"You can play the awards games or you can play the game that I like to play: which is to make movies people actually go to. Sorry."(Via @HertzBarry) pic.twitter.com/cy26QOTyHz - Film Updates (@FilmUpdates) December 19, 2025 Cameron also cited Denis Villeneuve's Dune films as an example, calling them "magnificent" while noting that the director himself wasn't adequately recognised. "It's like, okay, you can play the awards game, or you can play the game I like to play," Cameron remarked, highlighting what he sees as a disconnect between cinematic achievement and awards validation. James Cameron says he doesn't think about the Academy Awards as they "don't tend to honor sci-fi films", naming Denis Villeneuve's 'Dune' movies as examples:"I don't think about the Academy Awards that much intentionally. They don't tend to honor sci-fi films. It's almost never... pic.twitter.com/zIcisvMUhV - Film Updates (@FilmUpdates) December 19, 2025 For Cameron, the real win lies elsewhere. His priority is making films that resonate with audiences on a massive scale-movies people line up to watch, not just admire during award season. "I like to make movies that people actually go to," he concluded, unapologetically.
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