Torture debate bedevils Bigelow

The chatter surrounding the depiction of torture in Kathryn Bigelow’s Zero Dark Thirty just won’t go away. Character actor David Clennon, always politically active, has urged fellow Academy members to boycott the drama, which depicts the hunt for Osama Bin Laden.

The statement enraged Sony pictures, distributors of the picture. Amy Pascal, president of that organisation, commented: "We are outraged that any responsible member of the Academy would use their voting status in Ampas as a platform to advance their own political agenda."

Bigelow was eventually inspired to defend the film in the Los Angeles Times. "I support all protests against the use of torture and, quite simply, inhumane treatment of any kind," she wrote. Decide for yourself when Zero Dark Thirty opens here next week.