In accepting awards at the New York Film Critics Circle ceremony, the
director and screenwriter addressed critics in Congress and the world
of punditry.
As they received trophies in New York City, Kathryn Bigelow and Mark
Boal sent a warning shot directed squarely at Washington, DC.
The director and screenwriter of Zero Dark Thirty accepted the best
director and best picture awards at Monday night's New York Film
Critics Circle Awards and used the opportunity onstage to address
simmering controversies: the debate over their film's use of torture, as
well as the impending Senate investigation into their sources in crafting
the movie about the hunt for Osama bin Laden.
"I thankfully want to say that I'm standing in a room of people who
understand that depiction is not endorsement, and if it was, no artist
could ever portray inhumane practices; no author could ever write about
them; and no filmmaker could ever delve into the naughty subjects of
our time," Bigelow said to applause from the press and peers
assembled at the Crimson Club in Manhattan.
STORY: Torture, Tears and Terror: Jessica Chastain and Jason Clarke
on 'Zero Dark Thirty'
Many -- including Senate Intelligence Committee Chair Dianne
Feinstein and Arizona Senator John McCain -- have accused the film of
endorsing the use of torture due to its graphic depiction of the
waterboarding, sexual humiliation and other "enhanced interrogation"
techniques done to a detainee. Debate over whether the techniques are
depicted as helping the CIA obtain valuable information in the hunt for
bin Laden has in some ways overshadowed the rest of the film, which
has received near-universal praise.
Boal, in accepting the best picture award, gave a more full-throated
defense of the film, while also pulling in an even more current political
headline.
"There's been a lot written about this movie; some of it has popped off
the entertainment page to the news page. And from time to time, some
of you might have wondered if we would have liked to comment on
some of that coverage, and the answer is yes," he said, standing
defiantly at the podium.
VIDEO: Mark Boal Breaks Silence on CIA's Role in 'Zero Dark Thirty'
"Let me just say this: there was a very interesting story on the front
page of the New York Times today by Scott Shane, about a CIA agent
who is now facing jail time for talking to a reporter about
waterboarding," he explained, referencing the story of John Kiriaku, an
ex-CIA operative who was sentenced to 30 months in prison for
disclosing the name of a covert CIA agent's name to a journalist.
Kiriaku publicly discussed torture on television and was a source for
many other journalists.
"This gentleman is going to jail for that. And all I can say is that I read
that story very closely. It sort of reminds me of what somebody else
said when they were running for president, which is, 'If this shit was
happening to somebody else, it would be very interesting. For us, it's
quite serious," Boal continued, a nod at the pending Senate
investigation into whether the CIA improperly gave him classified
information to assist in the making of the film.
Film Review: 'Zero Dark Thirty'
"But nevertheless, I stand here tonight being extremely proud of the film
we made... In case anyone is asking, we stand by the film," he added,
throwing down a gauntlet. "I think at the end of the day, we made a film
that allows us to look back at the past in a way that gives us a more
clear-sighted appraisal of the future."
The Oscar-winning screenwriter, however, was reluctant to discuss the
investigation.
"You'd have to ask them," he told The Hollywood Reporter, when asked
about the status of the probe called for by Feinstein. "I think they have
a job to do, and it's very different from my job."
He did say, though, that he thinks that it should be clear that Zero Dark
Thirty is inspired by a true story, not a work of investigative journalism.
"It's a movie. I've been saying from the beginning it's a movie. That
shouldn't be too confusing," he quipped. "It's in cinemas, and if it's not
totally obvious, a CIA agent wasn't really an Australian [Jason Clarke]
that was on a lot of TV shows, and Jessica Chastain isn't really a CIA
agent; she's a very talented actress. But I think most American
audiences understand that."
Email: Jordan.Zakarin@THR.com; Twitter: @JordanZakarin
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