Hungarian police investigates the killing of a kitten for a film

The Herman Otto Animal and Nature Defence Association reported Zoltan Toepler after he admitted that a kitten really died in the scene from his film Alszent (Hypocrite).

A statement by the association said the animal had been killed with the greatest possible suffering to achieve "the desired effect," and called this a serious crime against society.

The association said that according to Hungarian law, animals could only be killed for acceptable reasons, such as incurable illnesses and academic research.

It also pointed out that animals could only be killed by drugs, as this caused the least suffering.

Toepler released a statement in response to hate mail, including death threats, he received after the complaint came to light.

The director said that while the animal had been killed, he had received the footage from an outside source.

"I didn't drown the kitten, but when a colleague showed me the footage, I said this must go in the film," he said. ""When I asked where the footage came from, I was told that it was a sick animal incapable of living that was put down."

"I would judge those who torture feeling creatures, but not the cameraman who filmed it," he continued.

The film, which Toepler made under the name Nicolaus Myslicki, won a special prize at the 2007 Hungarian Film Week for best experimental short.

Members of the film-week jury said in statement on the event's website that they would withdraw the award if it could be proven beyond a doubt that the animal was killed simply for the sake of the film.