Wētā FX’s Vancouver hub and ILM Studios in Vancouver had cause to celebrate as they played a part in the creation of James Cameron’s blockbuster Avatar: Fire and Ash which earned the Visual Effects honours at the 98th Academy Awards.
Accepting the Visual Effects Oscar in Los Angeles on Sunday was Wētā FX’s Joe Letteri, Eric Saindon, and Daniel Barrett and Lightstorm Entertainment’s Richard Baneham.
Wētā FX’s Wellington and Melbourne hubs also worked on the film which grossed about US $1.379 billion worldwide, with US$378.5 million of that coming from North American audiences alone.
“I first and foremost, I think, thank you to our families. Honestly, the love, support our wives, our partners,” said Baneham as he accepted the Oscar. “There’s 2200 artists. This is a massive, massive collaboration on the VFX side.”
The ILM Vancouver office, which employs 900 plus people, worked on two of the other films nominated in the category — Sinners and Jurassic World Rebirth.
James Camerons Avatar: Fire and Ash won the Academy Award for Best Visual Effects at the 98th annual awards in Los Angeles. Vancouver’s ILM Studios played a big part in the VFX for the blockbuster film.
Also with a Vancouver connection was former Vancouverite Tamara Deverell, who along with Shane Vieau won the Oscar for Best Production Design for director Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein.
“Thank you to the academy and to all the other nominees for your inspired work,” said Deverell, who has worked on many del Toro films, while accepting the award. “Guillermo, thank you for your humanity and your artistry. You are truly a master storyteller. It was an honour for us to help steer your fantastic operatic ship … personal thanks to our families and friends, to our moms and dads, to my husband, Kenny, our kids, Rachel and David, for their love and support. And finally, thank you, Mary Shelley for the story.”
Winning big at the awards held in Los Angeles was One Battle After that took home the awards for best picture, best director for Paul Thomas Anderson, best adapted screenplay for Anderson, best supporting actor for Sean Penn, best editing and best casting.
“You make a guy work hard for one of these, I really appreciate it,” said Anderson in his speech acknowledging that prior to this year’s awards he had lost his previous 11 Oscar nominations. “Thank you from the bottom of my heart.”
Sinners, which came into the awards with a record 16 nominations, took home four Oscars including best actor for Michael B. Jordan and best original screenplay for director/writer Ryan Coogler.
Looking for more titles to add to your 2026 viewing list? Check out our guide to B.C.-shot movies and shows to watch HERE.
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