Director Cameron Hails Titanic's 'Unsung Heroes'

Belfast shipbuilders have been hailed the "unsung heroes" of the Titanic by the man behind the hit movie.

James Cameron said the designers worked tirelessly to save lives as the ship sank.

It is 15 years since Titanic picked up a record 11 Oscars, including best picture.

The man who made the film has now graced the city that built the ship.

Mr Cameron said: "I'm happy to see Belfast reconnecting to its own history.

"I guess there was a period of time when Titanic was thought of as a black day or a black mark but it really was an amazing ship.

"It wasn't meant to have been run head on into an iceberg. That was just sort of bad driving."

Mr Cameron had flown into Northern Ireland to open a new exhibit of costumes and props from the movie.

Producer Jon Landau sensed the history in "Titanic Belfast" - a £95m visitor attraction.

He said: "When we walked through the Harland and Wolff offices, into the drawing room where architects had designed the ship, suddenly, something that we had done for cinematic purposes, the gravitas of history,

"I felt the weight of it on my shoulders and it was very emotional."

Mr Cameron juggles business with pleasure. This year alone, he converted Titanic to 3D and Blu-ray and completed the first solo dive to the deepest part of the ocean.

He added: "I just don't see myself sitting by the side of the pool. I love to take down time with the kids and enjoy that life, but it's usually pretty active.

"We're usually out on jetskis or scuba diving or doing something like that."

With that level of energy, it is not surprising that the filmmaker-cum-explorer is wowing a new generation of audiences.

He is currently working on sequels to Avatar - the only movie so far to have equalled Titanic's Oscar record.