On Jan. 31, a group of Parents and Families of 9/11 Firefighters and WTC Victims issued a statement condemning politicians, actors and critics who complained about the controversial film "Zero Dark Thirty."
The group stated in their letter that, "Politicians who have criticized the movie and made misleading claims about it, stand in the way of engaging a public dialogue for a stirring film which invokes feelings of patriotism and perseverance and honors our military, our country, and the victims of 9/11."
They attacked politicians for attempting to censor the film and going against the First Amendment's freedom of speech. They stated, "we feel this is history - like it or not -and no effort should be made to rewrite or censor it for political correctness. Certainly there should be no organized boycott or suppression of films based on political differences. The word for that is 'censorship.'"
The letter ends by endorsing "Zero Dark Thirty" and states that "all citizens should see this film and make their own decisions about its value. This is what democracy is about."
"Zero Dark Thirty" has been under scrutiny by Diane Feinstein and John McCain who have opened up an investigation against the filmmakers. Actors Ed Asner, David Clennon and Martin Sheen also called for a boycott for the Academy Awards while various pundits complained about the waterboarding scenes shown in the film. "Zero Dark Thirty's" controversy began in the summer of 2012 when it was revealed that Bigelow and Boal obtained access to official CIA documents.
The film is currently nominated for five Academy Awards including Best Picture and has become a box office sucess. The film stars Golden Globe winner Jessica Chastain and was distributed by Sony.