Los Angeles: Renowned film director Steven Spielberg resigned as artistic director for the opening and closing ceremonies of the Beijing Olympics in protest against China's support for the Sudan government and its actions in Darfur.

Spielberg was joined by actress Mia Farrow and others in a "Global Day of Action" Tuesday that included an open letter to Chinese President Hu Jintao at the Chinese Mission to the UN, condemning Beijing's support of the Sudanese government.

Ethnic and political violence in the region in western Sudan has taken the lives of more than 400,000 people and left 2.3 million homeless, according to the Save Darfur organisation.

Other estimates put the loss of life between 200,000 and 300,000.

"Sudan's government bears the bulk of the responsibility for these ongoing crimes but the international community, and particularly China, should be doing more," Spielberg said in a statement Tuesday.

"China's economic, military and diplomatic ties to the government of Sudan continue to provide it with the opportunity and obligation to press for change."

The director of the movies "Schindler's List" and "Saving Private Ryan" said he still planned to attend the Olympics but that he would devote his energy to the relief effort in Darfur rather than the ceremonies.

"The situation has never been more precarious," he said. "While China's representatives have conveyed to me that they are working to end the terrible tragedy in Darfur, the grim realities of the suffering continue unabated."