Terry Gilliam has blasted Avatar for limiting the opportunities of less successful filmmakers.

The The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus director said James Cameron’s epic 3-D blockbuster - now the biggest grossing film in history - cost so much to make, it meant many other projects missed out on funding.

“There are so many small, beautiful filmmakers and actors and directors with so much potential that just can’t get a look in because the studios are pumping all their money into these huge projects,” Gilliam claimed. “There are such incredible lower-budget films that are magical, but we’ve got our work cut out with things like Avatar coming out. How are these young talents supposed to get a look in without the budget? That’s the sad thing, because they are just as good.”

The science fiction film cost a rumored $300 million to make, and has pioneered new 3-D technology in cinema, but film critic Barry Norman suggested this doesn’t mean it should automatically win awards.

“Avatar will win all the awards this year, not that it deserves to,” Norman stated. “James Cameron’s films are designed to make money and that they do well. The films that make the most money are not the best films.”