By The Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences has generally had a standoffish relationship with genre fare, especially sci-fi, when it comes to rewarding it with Oscars.
Films in the genre often go very well in tech categories like VFX and sound, but the big awards can be elusive.
This was especially evident recently when Denis Villeneuve’s two “Dune” films received Best Picture nominations but failed to earn Best Director nominations.
That snubbing became a major topic of discussion, and now “Avatar” filmmaker James Cameron has weighed in on this while speaking with The Globe and Mail:
I don’t think about the Academy Awards that much – intentionally. I don’t think I make a movie to appeal to that sensibility, I guess. They don’t tend to honour films like ‘Avatar,’ films that are science fiction, for example – they’re almost never properly recognised.
You know, Denis Villeneuve made these two magnificent ‘Dune’ films. Apparently, these films made themselves, because he wasn’t considered a director, not even by the Directors’ Guild. It’s like, okay, 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.”
“Spider-Verse” franchise co-steerer Chris Miller spoke about the snub before, saying on social media a while back: “There were many films that had great directing this year, but what Denis did — in all aspects of the craft — was masterful.”
Villeneuve will potentially get another shot at the gong in early 2027 after “Dune: Part Three” opens in late 2026.
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