National Bird

Oct 14, 2016

1h 32m

★ 6.8

Overview

Sonia Kennebeck takes on the controversial tactic of drone warfare, and demands accountability through the personal accounts—recollections, traumas, and responses—of three American military veterans whose lives have been shaken by the roles they played in this controversial method of attack.

Genres

Documentary

Production Companies

Ten Forward Films

ITVS

Independent Lens

Corporation for Public Broadcasting

NDR

Filmförderung Hamburg Schleswig-Holstein

Kuratorium Junger Deutscher Film

National Bird Trailers

Cast

Self

Jesselyn Radack

Self

Heather Linebaugh

Self

Daniel Hale

Self

Lisa Ling

Self

Asma Nazihi Eschen

Self

Stanley McChrystal

Self

Kim Dunbar

Self

Allen Capron

Self (Archive Footage)

Barack Obama

At the core of these memories is Kcey, a spirited young woman of Puerto Rican and African American heritage. Her infectious spirit and uniquely endearing laugh became her signature, filling every room with infectious energy and joy. As a child, Kcey's spirited antics foreshadowed her future strength; she later emerged as a formidable member of the Air Force. Recollections from her mother, father, sister, childhood friend, and a battle buddy capture the essence of Kcey, from her infectious laughter to her cherished moments under the Afghan sunsets. Each memory serves as a testament to a life lived passionately. However, heartbreak strikes when, amid war, a plane crashes, claiming Kcey's life. As they grapple with this devastating loss, her loved ones oscillate between despair and denial, occasionally seeking refuge in work or the numbing embrace of alcohol. Yet, as they collectively mourn, they discover solace in their shared memories of Kcey's radiant spirit.

6.4

Surveilled

Nov 15, 2024

Uncover the insidious ways in which our daily lives are being surveilled by the state. In a gripping chase, Ronan Farrow travels across the world following breadcrumbs and finally exposing a dark world of spywares, hacking, and peddling of private information, where activists and journalists are persecuted, and no one is protected from the watchful and vicious eyes of authoritarianism.

5.0

Flight Photographers

Feb 12, 2025

"Flight Photographers" is an engaging look at the dynamic world of aviation photography, showcasing the passion and skill of both enthusiasts and professionals. Exciting stories and breathtaking images, highlight the art and adventure of capturing the beauty of flight.

8.5

Flash Wars - Autonomous Weapons, A.I. and the Future of Warfare

Oct 31, 2023

“Fear AI!” – “ warns Elon Musk back in 2014, joining other opinion leaders like Steve Wozniak, Noam Chomsky and Stephen Hawking in backing a petition against the development of autonomous weapons. As Vladimir Putin stated in 2017, “Whoever leads in AI, rules the world.”

0.0

Intercept: A Century of Signals Intelligence

Sep 5, 2023

A thought provoking documentary feature film providing a comprehensive exploration of the evolution of signals intelligence over the past century. Whether you're intrigued by the secretive world of intelligence agencies or concerned about the implications of digital surveillance, this film will leave you with a deeper understanding of the role signals intelligence plays in society.

6.7

The Memphis Belle

Apr 13, 1944

This WW2 documentary centers on the crew of the American B-17 Flying Fortress Memphis Belle as it prepares to execute a strategic bombing raid on Nazi submarine pens in Wilhelmshaven, Germany.

6.9

Nothing to Hide

Sep 6, 2017

NOTHING TO HIDE is an independent documentary dealing with surveillance and its acceptance by the general public through the "I have nothing to hide" argument. The documentary was produced and directed by a pair of Berlin-based journalists, Mihaela Gladovic and Marc Meillassoux. It was crowdfunded by over 400 backers. NOTHING TO HIDE questions the growing, puzzling and passive public acceptance of massive corporate and governmental incursions into individual and group privacy and rights. After the emotion initially triggered by the Snowden revelations, it seems that the general public has finally accepted to live in a monitored digital world.

7.9

Big Brother: A World Under Surveillance

Mar 11, 2020

Under the pretext of fighting terrorism or crime, the major powers have embarked on a dangerous race for surveillance technologies. Facial recognition cameras, emotion detectors, citizen rating systems, autonomous drones… A security obsession that in some countries is giving rise to a new form of political regime: numerical totalitarianism. Orwell's nightmare.

6.6

The Cold Blue

May 23, 2018

A meditation on youth, war and stunning bravery, featuring footage, taken from the National Archives, from the documentary filmed in 1943 by legendary Hollywood director William Wyler about the famous Memphis Belle flying fortress and the gripping narration from some of the last surviving B-17 pilots.

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0.0

There is a Way

Aug 15, 1966

A US Air Force produced film that follows a group of F-105 pilots as they pass their hundredth mission during the Vietnam War.

6.9

MLK/FBI

Sep 15, 2020

Based on newly declassified files, the film explores the US government’s surveillance and harassment of Martin Luther King, Jr.

6.0

The New World of Xi Jinping

Jul 13, 2021

Behind his polite exterior lies a formidable leader with a ruthless character, ready to do anything to make China the world's leading power by the People’s Republic’s centenary in 2049. This well-documented portrait of the Chinese president gives an unprecedented insight into his politics and shows how Xi Jinping's personal journey has shaped his choices as he steers China towards world domination.

0.0

Watched

Apr 20, 2017

This short 19-minute documentary is an intimate and moving exploration of the profound and far-reaching impact of surveillance on Muslim American individuals and communities. Premiering at the 2017 Tribeca Film Festival, WATCHED is told through the personal experience of two women, both coming of age in New York. The film charts the devastating toll of surveillance and reveals the scars it leaves behind.

7.3

The Bloody Hundredth

Mar 14, 2024

Meet the real-life airmen who inspired Masters of the Air as they share the harrowing and transformative events of the 100th Bomb Group.

7.0

A Good American

Sep 23, 2015

A Good American tells the story of the best code-breaker the USA ever had and how he and a small team within NSA created a surveillance tool that could pick up any electronic signal on earth, filter it for targets and render results in real-time while keeping the privacy as demanded by the US constitution.

8.0

Total Trust

Mar 21, 2023

By exploring the relationship between the watched and the watching, our film uncovers the trauma and hope engendered by the Chinese all-surveilling state and lends a voice to those that stand in resilient defiance of such blatant abuse of power.

5.2

Renegade: The Life Story of David Icke

May 3, 2019

A Feature Documentary, featuring David Icke The 'mad man' who has been proved right again and again and again. David Icke has been warning for nearly 30 years of a coming global Orwellian state in which a tiny few would enslave humanity through control of finance, government, media and a military-police Gestapo overseeing 24/7 surveillance of a micro-chipped population. They called him 'crazy', 'insane', a 'lunatic', and he was subjected to decades of ridicule, dismissal and abuse. Oh, but how things change. Today his books are read all over the world and his speaking events are watched by thousands on every continent. Why? Because what he has been so derided for saying is now happening in world events and even mainstream scientists are concluding that reality is indeed a simulation. Almost every day something that David Icke said long ago is supported by happenings and evidence. As Mahatma Gandhi said: 'First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win.

7.8

Everything Is Under Control

Dec 25, 2015

Facebook, Amazon and Google provide us with around the clock access to the convenient digital world! Surveillance cameras on the streets take care of our security. But who actually collects our fingerprints, iris scans, online shopping preferences, and social media postings? Don't we care about our privacy anymore? In his unique charming and curious way filmmaker Werner Boote travels around the world to explore the "brave new world" of total control. EVERYTHING UNDER CONTROL by Werner Boote (Plastic Planet, Population Boom) - an evocative film about the self-evidence of surveillance. In cinemas 25th of December 2015.

6.0

24 Hour Alert

Dec 22, 1955

This short film looks at the purpose and methods of the U.S. Air Force, and the difficulties of getting along with civilian neighbors. The story involves members of an Air Force base proving their worth to the mayor of a nearby town who would like to see them gone due to noise pollution.