Avatar director James Cameron ahead of the Avatar: Fire and Ash premiere at Embassy Theatre in Wellington.
Kiwis are among those recognised for excellence in cinema, scooping wins in two categories at the British Academy of Film and Television Arts Awards.
Kiwi costume designer Kate Hawley won best costume design in recognition of her work on Frankenstein and Wellington visual effects studio Wētā FX took out bestspecial visual effects for Avatar: Fire and Ash.
In December, Hawley was named as the British Fashion Council’s inaugural Costume Designer of the Year. She followed that up with a best costume design win at the 2026 Critics’ Choice Awards.
Frankenstein is Hawley’s third collaboration with director Mexican filmmaker Guillermo del Toro, previously working on del Toro’s films Crimson Peak and Pacific Rim. The pair were introduced by Kiwi director Peter Jackson.
Wētā FX and Hawley are also nominated for Academy Awards, which will be awarded in Los Angeles next month when the ceremony is held at the Dolby Theatre on Monday March 16.
Wētā FX was represented at the award show in London by Joe Letteri, Eric Saindon and Daniel Barrett, who accepted the award alongside Richard Baneham of James Cameron’s Lightstorm Entertainment.
The trio say they are “truly honoured” to receive the award.
“This recognition is a testament to the extraordinary dedication, artistry and innovation of our entire visual effects team and the many collaborators who helped bring this world to life.
Robin D. Cook (from left), Jacob Elordi, Kate Hawley, Guillermo del Toro, Martin Scorsese, Oscar Isaac and Tamara Deverell attend Netflix's Frankenstein screening in New York. Photo / Getty Images
“We also want to acknowledge the incredible New Zealand film community, whose talent, craftsmanship and collaborative spirit make it possible to achieve work at this level on the world stage. Being part of such a passionate and innovative creative environment is a privilege we never take for granted.”
Wētā FX was responsible for 94% of the visual effects shots in Avatar: Fire and Ash, with over 1200 crew contributing to a total of 3132 shots. Only seven shots (or 11 seconds) in the film do not contain visual effects.
Eric Saindon (from left), Joe Letteri, Richard Baneham and Daniel Barrett celebrate their nomination for Special Visual Effects at the 2026 Bafta Film Nominees’ Party. Photo / Bafta
This is Letteri’s sixth British Academy of Film and Television Arts (Bafta) win and Saindon and Barrett’s second. The trio also won the award for Avatar: The Way of Water in 2022, and Letteri for Avatar in 2009.
Wētā FX has worked with director James Cameron and Lightstorm Entertainment on Avatar projects for the last 20 years. Wētā FX says the long-running collaboration has allowed it to establish “a creative shorthand and shared vocabulary that has enabled innovation and efficiencies to produce the highest quality of storytelling and visual spectacle”.
At the Wellington premiere of Avatar: Fire and Ash in December 2025, director James Cameron told the Herald’s chief lifestyle and entertainment reporter Jenni Mortimer that the third instalment may be the last.
“I can’t even tell you that there will be another Avatar film. That business model itself may have collapsed,” Cameron said.
“Everybody’s belt-tightening right now. Because the theatrical marketplace has reduced by about a third, that’s a big deal. So big films like Avatar aren’t getting greenlit."
The first Avatar movie remains the world’s highest-grossing film of all time, having made over US$2.9 billion ($4.99b).
