The filmmaker James Cameron, who made immensely popular cinematic worlds, has taken a very personal reality choice. The director of Avatar has permanently shifted his family to New Zealand and sealed another chapter of long contemplation and opened a new chapter based on values and not images. Although someone can be tempted to believe that the move was motivated by landscapes that depict scenes in his films, Cameron has been explicit on the motivation. I do not go there to see the sights, I go there to be sane.
To Cameron, New Zealand is a symbol of what is becoming rarer in the modern world; social cohesion, faith in science and collective responsibility. This was not a hasty decision. It came after years of contemplation, observation, and comparison especially at a time when the systems of the world were being pressurized to their utmost. He has said that the COVID-19 pandemic was the defining moment that changed the balance.
In an interview series, In Depth with Graham Besanger, Cameron said that the reaction of New Zealand to the 2020 health crisis transformed his thought process. He observed the way the publicly directed policy was guided by science, the way the citizens generally acted towards the same end, and the way the leadership was able to communicate more than create confusion. It was a revelation on the nature of a society to him. It is a place that believes in science and is sane, he said, and wherein people can work together cohesively towards a common purpose and he contrasted that with elsewhere he claimed to have an extremely polarized setting that had become dismissive of expertise.
Cameron did not explain his escape as an escape in itself but as a decision. An option between systems that put evidence and cooperation first, and systems that are divided by division. Where do you prefer to live, he rhetorically questioned placing more emphasis on conviction rather than comfort. As the filmmaker whose works tend to dwell on the effects of human actions on the vulnerable ecosystem and society, the parallels are hard to overlook.
Cameron, at 71, no longer has professional ambition as an exclusive motive. His point of view has been expanded even as he still manages high-profile projects, such as the Avatar franchise, which is growing. It has taken the place of stability, mental well being and the environment his family lives in. His remark that he is not going there to view the scenery but to get the sanity has been very popular in that it cuts right through the illusion of glamour that comes with celebrity relocations. It addresses a universal wish to find some kind of balance in a more and more unstable world.
Film-makers have always liked to come to New Zealand due to some practical reasons. It has attracted massive projects due to its varied geography, well trained crews, and policies that favour production. Cameron himself is a well-established professional and personal figure in the country and has developed good working relations in the country. But the choice of his being permanently is something more than industry convenience. It is indicative of faith in a social construct, which he thinks is in line with reasonable decision-making and respect.
Any perceptive person familiar with the work of Cameron will see a certain vein of interest in science and admiration of knowledge. Since his days as a deep-sea explorer, to his environmental activism, he has frequently discussed evidence-based thinking. His praise of the pandemic reaction in New Zealand, in that regard, can be effortlessly integrated into his perception of the world. He has never been afraid of speaking out against what he perceives as politicization of science and his statements in the interview were forthright. He defined societies that do not subscribe to scientific consensus as being unstable especially when an event of crisis occurs.
The relocation has also triggered the debate regarding the wider implications of the public trust and governance. When they are expressed so publicly by such a high profile as Cameron, it makes you reflect more. His statements were not stated in the context of an attack, but as an observation based on the lived experience. That voice has given weight to his message and it is not about himself it is about society as a whole.
The family of Cameron has been seen to have settled in New Zealand leading a more ground-based life rather than the hectic running of mega cities in the world. The national focus on community, the environmental sustainability, and the restrained conversation of the masses seem to align with the agendas that Cameron has been promoting over the past few years. It is natural that, to a person who has made a career out of arranging the desired controlled chaos in the movie sets, the lure of a disciplined science-based society would be quite palpable.
Interestingly, Cameron has highlighted that it is not a retrenchment move of the world. He is still active in the world with his activity and commentary on it. It is rather a matter of making a decision that is comfortable to his ideals. Physical location is not the same constraint to creative reach as it used to be in an age where remote collaboration is becoming the new normal. What it affects, though, is everyday life, mental health and values brought by the future generation.
The general reaction of people to the move by Cameron has been both adoration and criticism. People view it as a muted acceptance of the New Zealand system of governance, and some have viewed it as a more general statement of world polarization. Cameron himself has not made the move into a political message and he has consistently brought the discussion back to individual health and social sanity.
An unanswered question exists as well in whether these moves, by the influential people, are indicative of a more profound change. Since individuals redefine their expectations of the locations where they reside, elements such as trust, community, and esteem of science might start surpassing conventional indicators of chances. Though this choice is personal, Cameron has shown a rising trend in thinking that nothing is abstract but rather necessities, especially stability and collective responsibility.
