Batman actor Christian Bale had a number of positive things to say about director Christopher Nolan during the Jameson Empire Awards 2009 ceremony at the weekend.

The lead part in last year’s The Dark Knight movie suggested that it is the filmmakers who make or break a flick, as he collected the Best Actor accolade.

In a video transmission from Los Angeles, Bale told the audience: "First of all, thanks to Chris Nolan, because every movie works or fails with the director, every good performance only sees the light due to his decisions in the editing room."

The 35-year-old added. "I’m so damn lucky to have worked with such a fine director."

Bale also said that he appreciated being named Best Actor and could not put into words what the prize meant to him.

Nolan also picked up one of the major honours of the evening – collecting the Best Director accolade.

He finished ahead of Daniel Day Lewis, Robert Downey Jr, Daniel Craig and Johnny Depp in the category, and said that he was "thrilled" with the reaction to The Dark Knight.