Hurt calls for independent movie support

Actor John Hurt is urging the public to support independent filmmakers amid fears the huge rise in blockbuster movies is pushing them out of the market.

The veteran actor landed a lifetime achievement award for his six-decade long movie career at the Bradford International Film Festival (BIFF) in north England, on Saturday (20Mar10), and he used the opportunity to promote low-budget pictures.

Hurt is worried that mega movies, such as James Cameron's Avatar, which became the biggest grossing box-office hit of all time, are impacting negatively on independent films.

He says, "It's been my constant fight all my life. All you can do is prepare the ground. You can't just say this is how it ought to be because you've got to create a public that actually enjoys it - and therein lies the difficulties."