In Theatres: DRONE

droneComing to theatres this Friday, November 20: DRONE

Tonje Hessen Schei’s look at modern unmanned warfare debuted on European television in April 2014. The feature version has screened extensively at festivals, including IDFA, CPH:DOX, Hot Docs, AFI Docs, Bergen, Sheffield, True/False, DOXA, Doc Aviv, Docs Against Gravity, Zurich, and It’s All True, among others.

Exploring the use of the titular remote-controlled armed aircraft, Tonje Hessen Schei offers multiple viewpoints on the controversial topic in an intelligently-crafted film. Despite claims of the surgical precision of drone strikes, the film explores their physical and psychological impact on the Pakistani community of Wajiristan, subject to seemingly endless drone warfare. The other side of the combat, from the safety of American control rooms half a world away, is represented by subjects like Brandon Bryant, a former drone pilot who has experienced a crisis of conscience together with PTSD from his experiences, and now speaks out for restrictions on drone usage. So does Lawrence Wilkerson, Colin Powell’s former chief of staff, who describes drone employment more as murder than as warfare, and notes the impossibility of winning a war when each drone strike creates more potential terrorists than it kills.

1 Comment

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One response to “In Theatres: DRONE

  1. Tom's avatar Tom

    Looking forward to watch this movie. Interesting also how (at least I got this from description) drones for military use and drones for home use intertwine. That is interesting because you can indeed transform your homemade drone into more dangerous creature and I would like to see what was the story about that in the movie.
    Already bought the popcorn, now I am waiting for the premiere.

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