Ben Affleck - Ben Affleck: Movies Can Change The World!

Addressing the debate, which had been a running theme of the Colorado based film festival; Affleck cited his role in Argo, his latest film, as a basis for his stance on the subject. "The people who see these films will believe them," he said, referring as well to other films on the panel, which address controversial political and civil ideas. "I genuinely -- not believe, but know, that there will be an impact." Affleck plays the role of a Cia official who saves six Americans in the 1979 Iran hostage crisis by defying orders to abandon them. "He was aware of how the policies of the Cia had put them in the place they were in," Affleck explained. "But he still wanted in some measure to try to make it right. So this idea of not giving up is noble. And I would also caution the other members of this panel to ward off their cynicism and remember that those of us in America get our education from movies."

Affleck is fresh from a slightly odd reception to Terrence Malick's latest film, To The Wonder. The film garnered praise from some, and a round of booing from others. The Tree Of Life director is used to confounding critics, with some labelling his previous romantic-epic tedious, and some calling it seminal. Malick is reported not to care about what the critics say, and is too busy making movies.