Movie “Avatar” has few fans among mining execs – by Steve James (Reuters.com – March 11, 2010)

The article is from the Reuters website: http://www.reuters.com/

(Reuters) – It’s enough to make a mining executive grit his teeth or his kids to give him the silent treatment. In a case of art imitating life — with perhaps a little poetic license — Oscar-winning movie “Avatar” paints big mining companies as the villains of the future.

But real-life executives are not entirely amused by their fictional colleagues being cast in evil roles in what is already the biggest-grossing Hollywood movie of all time.

“Let me put it this way, my kids saw the movie, and my kids know I’m a miner, and they didn’t say anything to me,” said Peter Kukielski, head of mining operations for ArcelorMittal (ISPA.AS) (MT.N), the world’s largest steelmaker.

“They didn’t say a thing, and they loved the movie. They saw it twice,” he told the Reuters Global Mining and Steel Summit in New York this week.

“I gritted my teeth a few times over the manner the mining company was presented,” said Charles Jeannes, chief executive of Canada’s Goldcorp (G.TO). “I loved Avatar – once you get past the storyline, I loved the graphics.”

The storyline of the James Cameron-directed movie, set in the year 2154, sees humans mining a mineral called unobtanium on the planet Pandora. Expansion of the mining colony threatens the existence of a tribe of Na’vi, a humanoid species. The film’s title refers to the genetically engineered Na’vi and human hybrid bodies used by human characters to interact with the natives of Pandora.

MOVIE SETS BACK MINERS’ EFFORTS

Dennis Wheeler, CEO of Coeur d’Alene Mines Corp (CDE.N) said he was keen to see it. “I think I will because a few of my friends who have seen it said it represents a real technological breakthrough.”

When informed the film’s mining company was portrayed as damaging the environment with no regard for local communities, Wheeler laughed: “Well, that’s not futuristic!”

He noted that perception of the mining industry by many people, even if it was not the reality. “Coeur is a leader in environmental stewardship and mine safety. Those things that some people call the softer issues about mining, have clearly become more important — social responsibility.

“I don’t see anything wrong with them, I support them,” said Wheeler, noting his company established a partnership with Alaskan native groups to provide workers for its Kensington gold mine and has done similar work in Bolivia and Mexico around its silver mines.

Gerald Grandey, CEO of uranium miner Cameco Corp (CCO.TO) appeared resigned to the fact mining companies get a bad reputation driven by environmentalists.

“When you get a movie like ‘Avatar’ — I have seen it and actually enjoyed it — I thought it was just unfortunate they defaulted to the easy conflict. It was too convenient to go back to the old stereotypes.”

“Cameco is a premier example of going into a remote region – Saskatchewan, where there are 28 aboriginal communities who had never heard of mining…and now after 25 years, well over 50 percent of our employees are aboriginal.

For the rest of this article, please go to the Reuters.com website: http://www.reuters.com/article/2010/03/11/us-mining-summit-avatar-idUSTRE62A54Q20100311