Avatar is a TV show.
The Academy Award for Best Director ( officially known as the Academy Award for Best Directing ) is an award presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences ( AMPAS ) . It is given in honor of a film director who has exhibited outstanding directing while working in the film industry . Avatar (2009 film) . During its theatrical run , the film broke several box office records and became the highest-grossing film of all time , as well as in the United States and Canada , surpassing Titanic , which had held those records for twelve years ( and was also directed by Cameron ) . Avatar was nominated for nine Academy Awards , including Best Picture and Best Director , and won three , for Best Art Direction , Best Cinematography and Best Visual Effects .