Star and makers of Oscar-nominated film defended Osama Bin Laden killing movie

The star and makers of Zero Dark Thirty have defended the film against claims that it endorses the use of torture in the part it played to find al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden.

Jessica Chastain told Sky News: "It's absurd to think that. That's just another example of people re-appropriating the film for their own advantage.

 "Before the movie came out they were saying it was a pro-Obama campaign commercial."

Chastain, who plays a CIA agent, added: "To me, it's pretty obvious ... it's against torture, it's not a pro-torture film."

There have been claims that the thriller inaccurately portrays the CIA's interrogation methods as having directly led to the capture of bin Laden.

Director Kathryn Bigelow and writer Mark Boal were given unusual levels of access to those involved in the mission. As a result, the Senate Intelligence Committee has launched an investigation.

In a letter last month, a group of senators wrote: "We're concerned by the film's clear implication that information obtained during or after the use of the CIA's coercive interrogation techniques played a critical role.

"Given the CIA's co-operation ... the film makers could have been misled by information they were provided by the CIA."

Zero Dark Thirty has been nominated for five Oscars, including best film and best actress, but Bigelow missed out on a nod in the director category.

Speaking about the movie, she told Sky News: "What people knew very little about was the operation and the intelligence gathering.

"The hunt and the kind of psychology that it takes, to have that kind of determination and that kind of dedication that it required, to be as diligent and indefatigable over a 10-year period."

Among those who have criticised the film is Academy member and actor David Clennon.

He said: "I firmly believe that the film Zero Dark Thirty promotes the acceptance of the crime of torture as a legitimate weapon in America's so-called War on Terror.

"In that belief, following my conscience, I will not vote for Zero Dark Thirty in any category. I cannot vote for a film that makes heroes of Americans who commit the crime of torture."

Sony Pictures Entertainment co-chairman Amy Pascal hit back, saying: "Zero Dark Thirty does not advocate torture. To not include that part of history would have been irresponsible and inaccurate.

"We fully support Kathryn Bigelow and Mark Boal and stand behind this extraordinary movie. 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."

The hunt for bin Laden ended on May 2, 2011, when he was killed by a group of US Navy Seals who stormed his compound in Abbottabad in Pakistan.