This is where technology has taken us: U.S. service members plotting and executing drone strikes half a world away, killing not only a faceless enemy but also, on too many occasions, innocent civilians.
The documentary National Bird looks at the casualties on both sides of the attacks, focusing on three whistleblowers – veterans of the Air Force’s unmanned aerial vehicle program – who are plagued by guilt over their roles in the distant bloodshed and are suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder. The Library and KCPT-TV screen the 2016 film as part of the Indie Lens Pop-Up community cinema initiative, and a follow-up discussion features National Bird director Sonia Kennebeck and representatives of the Kansas City-based Moral Injury Association of America, Veterans for Peace, and Amnesty International.