Famous director exchanges the US for New Zealand because of Trump
3 March 2025 15:02
Filmmaker James Cameron is in the process of obtaining New Zealand citizenship and plans to move to this country for permanent residence. The reason for this step is his rejection of what is happening in Trump’s America, "Komersant Ukrainian" reports with reference to The Guardian.
James Cameron expressed his relief at becoming a New Zealand citizen after Donald Trump’s re-election as US president, saying that America under Trump’s leadership is
“a departure from all that is decent.”
Asked how concerned he was about Trump’s second term, the 70-year-old director said:
“I think it’s terrible, I think it’s terrifying… I see it as a departure from everything decent. America means nothing if it doesn’t stand for what it has historically stood for. It’s becoming an empty idea, and I think they’re emptying it out as quickly as possible for their own benefit.”
The filmmaker has owned a large dairy farm in South Wairarapa since 2012 and has long expressed plans to permanently move to New Zealand. He shot his Avatar films with Weta Digital in Wellington, for which the visual effects studio won an Academy Award.
Cameron acknowledged the global impact of US policy, saying:
“I don’t know if I feel safer here [in New Zealand], but I certainly don’t need to read about it [Trump’s policies] on the front page every day. And it’s just disgusting. There’s something nice about the New Zealand papers – at least they put it on page three… I just don’t want to see this guy’s face on the front page of the newspaper anymore. It’s inevitably there, it’s like watching a car accident over and over again.”
He said that becoming a New Zealand citizen was “inevitable” and that
“it means a lot. It’s something I’ve been striving for, something I’ve had to sacrifice for. If you’re going to uproot your roots and move somewhere, you have to invest, you have to be a part of it, you have to earn your position. I just think you have to earn the right to be somewhere.”
Cameron compared New Zealand to Canada, the country of his birth, saying:
“I grew up in Canada and I see a lot of similarities here in the way people behave. I actually like it a little bit better here. There is an innate respect and demand for respect. Everyone has this equal status in terms of humanity. And I love that – that’s what I wanted my children to experience.”
In 2023, Cameron expressed his intention to attract “fresh blood” to the New Zealand film industry.
“I kind of speak for a big international production, but I’m a resident here, I’ll be a citizen in a year and I plan to shoot all my movies here in Wellington. I love working here. I love the people I have the opportunity to work with here,”
– he said.
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James Cameron: a dossier
James Cameron is a famous Canadian-American film director, screenwriter and producer, born on August 16, 1954. He has gained worldwide fame for creating revolutionary blockbusters, including The Terminator, Aliens, The Abyss, Terminator 2: Judgment Day, True Lies, Titanic, and Avatar. Cameron is known for his perfectionism, technological innovation and ability to combine spectacular special effects with emotional stories. “Titanic and Avatar became the highest-grossing films of their time, bringing the director numerous awards, including an Oscar.
In addition to his film career, Cameron has a deep interest in ocean exploration and new technologies. He has made several expeditions to the depths of the ocean, including a solo dive to the bottom of the Mariana Trench in a specially designed submersible, the DeepSea Challenger, in 2012, becoming the first person to do so alone. This passion for deep-sea exploration has influenced his work, especially in the films The Abyss and Titanic.
In recent years, Cameron has focused on developing the Avatar franchise, working on several sequels simultaneously and developing new technologies for underwater filming using 3D cameras. He is also known for his active civic stance on environmental issues, climate change and environmental protection.
