Legend film director James Cameron turns 63

CAIRO – 16 August 2017: Prominent Canadian filmmaker/director/producer/screenwriter James Cameron turns 63 today, on August 16.

Embarking in engineering and philanthropy, Cameron has created the immensely popular movies Titanic and Avatar, along with other classics such as Terminator and Aliens. He also promotes environmental awareness and veganism through his films. Cameron was originally a truck driver who followed his passion and became a director. He was a college dropout, drove trucks, and taught himself about special effects, film technology, entering into the film industry after seeing Star Wars in 1977.

His breakthrough movie was the legendary Terminator in 1984. He wrote the screenplay and decided to direct it himself. The production companies he contacted expressed their interest in the screenplay, but were not willing to take a chance on a largely inexperienced film director.

Eventually, he found a newly established production company ‘Hemdale Pictures’ and they allowed him to direct the film while Pacific Western Productions was the producer that bought the screenplay for just $1.

For the role of Terminator, Cameron envisioned a man who was not exceptionally muscular, starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, Linda Hamilton, whose iconic role as Sarah Connor span off in short-term series and Terminator II. The Terminator was a box-office hit and expected to last a week in theaters after being produced on a low budget production ($6.5 million); however it exceeded expectations and earned $78 million.

Cameron has a keen eye for cutting edge technology in his movies; his high expectations from everyone to the point that he's been described as cruel to his crew and team members. The ambitious filmmaker was complimented by the actors such as Sigourney Weaver (collaborated with him in Aliens & Avatar) who praised Cameron’s work and style, stating that “He really does want us to risk our lives and limbs for the shot, but he doesn’t mind risking his own.”

Cameron’s films have recurring themes. They include the conflicts between humanity and technology, the dangers of corporate greed, women empowerment, and strong romantic lines. In 2012, Cameron, his wife and his children adopted a vegan diet declaring that by changing what you eat you change the relationship between the human species and the natural world.

He undertook a challenge in 2012 where he spent hours exploring the ocean floor before returning to the surface. He was the first person to accomplish this trip solo. He reached the deepest part of the Mariana Trench and has made a three-dimensional film of his dive. The Mariana Trench is located in the western Pacific Ocean East of the Philippines and its depth is 10.6 kilometers. Cameron is among the only two men on earth who accomplished that wild adventure.