A FILM-MAKER from Bolton has won high praise from one of the UK’s most acclaimed actors.

Richard Addlesee’s film Believe was chosen by John Hurt as “the patron’s pick” at the Keswick Film Festival.

Hurt, who singled out the film during the presentation, said: “Believe is clearly made by someone who has a real feel for cinema, and an understanding of the language of film — congratulations. I look forward to your next piece.”

The respected British actor is the latest A-list celebrity to have been won over by the short film, made by the 29-year-old University of Bolton graduate.

The Bolton News reported when Hollywood director Kevin Smith — the man behind Dogma and Chasing Amy — recommended the film to his 2.2 million followers on Twitter.

Since then Mr Addlesee has built up a celebrity fan base for his film — with Hollywood megastars including Tom Cruise and Russell Crowe passing judgment.

Russell Crowe tweeted after watching the film: “Great locations. Nice mood.

Performances well calibrated.

Well done”.

Tom Cruise retweeted a mention of the film, and actor Johnny Harris commented: “I thought it a thought provoking, beautifully shot piece.”

Mr Addlesee said: “It takes a while for all these comments to sink in — having such comments is quite unreal.”

He added: “Having positive comments like this will help me when I meet with companies and agents to pitch a film.

“It shows my film has attention and is in the spotlight.”

Now Richard is waiting for Radcliffe-bron top film producer Danny Boyle — in whose hometown the film is partly set — to cast his critical eye over the film after he won a competition by Shooting People, an independent film-makers’ network.