Cleveland man assists in Oscar-winning Avatar film

March 17, 2023

Courtney Goins,

Ben Murphy with Best VFX Oscar

Courtesy: Cleveland City Schools
Ben Murphy and Richie Baneham with Oscar

Courtesy: Cleveland City Schools
Oscar VFX card

Courtesy: Cleveland City Schools
Eric, Richie, Dan, Joe Oscars 2

Courtesy: Cleveland City Schools

CLEVELAND, Tenn. (WDEF) — A local man recently assisted Avatar: The Way of Water in winning an Oscar.

Ben Murphy is an alum to Cleveland High School. On Sunday, the new Avatar film won an Oscar for Best Visual Effects at the Academy Awards.

Murphy was the first assistant editor for Avatar: The Way of Water.

“I am beyond proud of our crew. So many people contributed to the making of this first Avatar sequel,” Murphy said. “It is very gratifying to see our team get recognition by our industry peers for the artistry and craft put into the film. Now we just have to put the same passion and hard work into the next three Avatar films! Onward to Avatar 3!”

The film premiered on December 16, 2023.