Ken Loach blasts PM's vision

Award-winning director Ken Loach today attacked David Cameron's vision for the future of the British film industry.

The Prime Minister has urged movie makers to concentrate on mainstream box office hits and vowed to help the sector be "more dynamic and entrepreneurial".

But Mr Loach, 75, today argued that it was vital to fund "different, varied projects" and that not all films could be commercially successful.

"People don't go into film to be entrepreneurs, they go in - like people write books or make radio programmes - to be creative, to be original to have wit, to share humour," he said.

"Success can come at all levels - you don't have to be a blockbuster to be successful." Mr Loach - who has directed more than 25 films including Kes, Looking For Eric and the Palme D'Or-winning The Wind That Shakes The Barley - also raised fears that a new review of the film industry would be a missed opportunity to challenge the dominance of multiplex cinemas.

The review by former Labour culture secretary Lord Smith is expected to recommend that lottery funding should be used to reward success, in a bid to help Britain repeat the achievement of movies such as the King's Speech.

Ahead of a visit to Pinewood studios today, Mr Cameron said the Government and the British Film Institute should "incentivise UK producers to chase new markets".

But Mr Loach said it would be a "travesty" if money only went to mainstream films and he accused the Prime Minister of leaking his own review.