Cameron: Amazon Dam Dispute is a Real-Life 'Avatar'. AP, April 13, 2010. "Director James Cameron said April 12 that a real-life 'Avatar' battle is playing out in Brazil's Amazon rain forest, where indigenous groups are trying to halt the construction of a huge hydroelectric project... Cameron said he was in Brazil's capital to support Indian and environmental groups as they stage protests against the Belo Monte dam project... Cameron attended an environmental summit in the Amazon last month with former U.S. Vice President Al Gore. He returned this week to Sao Paulo to promote the DVD version of his blockbuster movie Avatar, in which the fictitious Na'vi race fights to protect its homeland, the forest-covered moon, Pandora, from plans to extract oil. He said he came to Brasilia on his own initiative because he was drawn to the activists' plight.
"Avatar has struck a chord with environmentalists worldwide, from China, where millions have been displaced by major infrastructure projects, to Bolivia, where Evo Morales, the nation's first indigenous president, praised the film for sending the message of saving the environment from exploitation. 'I'm drawn into a situation where a real-life 'Avatar' confrontation is in progress,' Cameron said in a telephone interview while en route to protests taking place in front of the Mines and Energy Ministry. 'What's happening in Avatar is happening in Brazil and places like India and China, where traditional villages are displaced by big infrastructure projects,' he added. The $11 billion Belo Monte hydroelectric dam -- which if completed would be the world's third-largest such project -- was cleared for construction Feb. 1 by the Environment Ministry. Bidding for prospective builders is expected to take place later this month."
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