TWO brothers have adopted the adage "if you can't beat them, join them", in their search for backing for their film.

Sean and Barrie Robinson headed to the French Riviera to mingle among the stars, glitz and glamour of the 60th international film festival in Cannes, southern France, seeking support.

They are looking for backing to help distribute the low-budget animatronics film.

Forty-two-year-old Sean, a former bricklayer, and brother Barrie, 37, a former transport manager, have been working on Agent Crush for three years.

The pair, originally from Sunderland, managed to persuade star names like Sir Roger Moore, Ruby Wax, Brian Cox, Brian Blessed, Jon Culshaw and Ioan Gruffudd to voice characters in the children's film.

They are now showing the movie to impress buyers at the festival, which has become an important showcase for European films.

The Robinson brothers used traditional motion picture techniques, which they believe can compete with big budget computer-generated imagery films.

They have revived the classic art of rod puppeteering for the film.

Their creations are controlled by operators from under the set.

Sean moved into the special effects industry after giving up his bricklaying job and worked with Derek Meddings, who made his name in the pantheon of puppeteering, with the legendary Sixties series Thunderbirds. Agent Crush is his first work as director.

Barrie, the film's producer, was a transport manager with the Royal Mail before setting up a production company with his brother in 1999.

Now living in Putney, in south-west London, the brothers said: "It's been a real roller-coaster ride, from the start to sitting here now. We've been through so many emotions to get here."

They secured private funding to make the film.