Filmmaker, Explorer, Academy Award Winner

“Letís celebrate the spirit of adventure and exploration.”

Iíve been fascinated by ocean exploration since before I even saw an ocean. When I was a kid in Canada, I lived, I think, 600 miles from the sea. But I watched Jacques Cousteauís specials on TV, and I thought they were absolutely incredible…

Extract from the documentary
Explorers: From the Titanic to the Moon,
premiered and introduced by James Cameron
at the Shrine Auditorium, October, 6, 2006.

James Cameron was born in Kapuskasing, Ontario, Canada. He grew up in Chippawa, Ontario, and in 1971 his family moved to Brea, California. There he studied physics at Cal State-Fullerton, but his passion for filmmaking would draw him to the film archive of UCLA at every opportunity.

He started in the film industry as a screenwriter, then moved into art direction and effects for films such as Battle Beyond the Stars and Escape from New York. Working with producer Roger Corman, Cameron landed his first directorial job in 1981 for the film Piranha II: The Spawning, shot at Grand Cayman Island for the underwater diving sequences and in Rome, Italy for most of the interior scenes. During film post-production he was fired, and the final cut was decided by executive producer, Ovidio G. Assonitis.

James Cameronís highlights as a director:
1984: The Terminator
1986: Aliens
1989: The Abyss
1991: Terminator 2: Judgment Day
1994: True Lies
1997: Titanic
2009: Avatar

Cameronís recent projects include undersea documentaries on the Bismarck: Expedition: Bismarck (2002), and the Titanic: Ghosts of the Abyss, in IMAX 3D 2003. In July 2005, Cameron confirmed his long-rumoured film adaptation of the manga series Battle Angel Alita. He will shoot the film in stereoscopic digital 3-D with a cast almost entirely composed of animated CG, using an improved “performance capture” technique similar (but reportedly more advanced) to what was first used by director Robert Zemeckis in The Polar Express. However, Cameron has recently confirmed that he will first direct his rumoured Project 880 (Avatar). He is also attached to 2 other projects, including The Dive. Among A-list directors, Cameron is a leading advocate for 3D stereo films. He plans to create a 3-D project about the first trip to Mars, and he is on the science team for the 2009 Mars Science Laboratory. Recently, Cameron co-produced The Exodus Decoded. It was shown in Canada and Israel in 2005, and just made itís debut on The History Channel on 20 August, 2006.

The Jules Verne Adventure Film Festival proudly welcomes James Cameron at the Shrine Auditorium in the occasion of the Launch-Event, October, 6, 2006.