9/11 Flight Attendant's Family Wants Apology at Oscars

The opening of Zero Dark Thirty includes the voice of 9/11 flight attendant Betty Ann Ong on a call before her plane hit the World Trade Center, much to the displeasure of her family. So much so that if the film takes home an Oscar tomorrow night, the family wants a public apology at the ceremony, reports the New York Times. They also want Sony to specify on its website and on home versions of the movie that the family does not condone torture; to give Ong a credit; and to donate to a charity set up in her name.

“I thought it was just outrageous, and totally poor judgment, and an abuse of the voices,” says her brother. It's not clear whether Sony will comply. A statement in response says the film "is, in some small way, a tribute to those forever affected by the attacks.” And in an email to the Times, writer Mark Boal added, "As the 9/11 commission justly proclaimed, Betty Ong is without a doubt one of our national heroes.” It's one more controversy for the film, previously dogged by complaints about the filmmakers' access to the White House and their depiction of torture. (More Zero Dark Thirty stories.)