Zero Dark Thirty Premiere Hit By Protest

Protesters wearing orange jump suits and black hoods staged a protest outside the Washington premiere of a controversial film about the hunt for Osama bin Laden.

Activists held placards bearing slogans including "Torture Is Wrong" as lawmakers and media guests filed in to the screening of Zero Dark Thirty.

It comes as the US Senate Intelligence Committee begins a review of contacts between the makers of the movie and CIA officials.

The committee will examine records charting contracts between intelligence officials and the film's director Kathryn Bigelow and screenwriter Mark Boal.

The Oscar-winning director for The Hurt Locker said she was "surprised" by the investigation and said the controversy surrounding interrogation techniques distracts from the movie's focus.

"It sheds light on professionals in the intelligence community that really were dedicated over those ten years," she said.

"It's their courage, their tenacity, and their commitment - and sometimes their sacrifice - that led to this successful operation. So it puts the audience in the shoes of those individuals at the heart of the hunt."

Mark Boal, who helped produce the film and wrote the screenplay, said the investigation into whether the spy agency gave the filmmakers "inappropriate" access to secret material may not be just about the film.

"My understanding is that some of this controversy probably pre-dates the films and these are controversial topics that are part of the discussion in the political arena," he said.

The probe looks into whether CIA personnel are responsible for the portrayal of harsh interrogation practices, and in particular the suggestion that they were effective.

Campaigners have sought to point out that torture and other abuses did not help find Osama bin Laden , who was killed by US special forces in Pakistan in May 2011.