Angelina Jolie has revealed she "smothered" her children with love when they came on the set of her directorial debut In The Land of Blood And Honey.

The Hollywood star admitted making the film - set in the 90s Bosnian war - had been very stressful, so visits from her six kids helped her through it.

Angelina told The Daily Telegraph: "They liked to visit the set and play in the fake snow, but there were many days when they couldn't come because we were filming scenes that weren't appropriate for children.

"But, whenever I called 'cut' and we had a break, the kids would come and play soccer with the cast, and we'd all laugh because they brought levity and love to something that was so dark. I was always so happy to see them I probably smothered them with love because of the nature of the subject matter I was dealing with."

The UN Ambassador revealed she wanted to make the film because of "what I'd witnessed in the past 10 years in travelling to all parts of the world".

She revealed: "If I wasn't somehow able to bring attention to issues when I go to other countries, it would weigh on me heavily.

"I have moments when I burst out crying and I don't know why, and sometimes I can't sleep at night, but at least I can feel I can do something to be part of the solution."

The 36-year-old actress admitted she would like to direct again, but added "I'm not confident yet that I'm good at it."