‘Thisisnotsciencefiction’,saysacommercialinvitingyoungpeopletojointheUSAirForce.IndeeditisanythingbutautopianvisionwhendronestargetinghumansinAfghanistanandothercountriesareoperatedfromasafedistance.NationalBirddescribesthedramaticexperiencesofthreeformerAirForceanalystswhohavedecidedtobreaktheirsilenceaboutthesecretdeploymentofthesecombatdrones.Hauntedbytherealisationthattheymighthavebeenresponsibleforthedeathofinnocentvictims,theyaregoingpublicwiththeirknowledge–regardlessofthepossibleconsequences.Thesethreewarveteransallsignedupvoluntarilyformilitaryservice–eitheroutofasenseofidealism,hardshiporafeelingofduty.Butallthatchangedasaresultofthedroneprogramme. NationalBirdprovidesinsightsintotheUSdroneprogrammeasseenthroughtheeyesofveteransandsurvivorswhosestoriesareconnected.Atthesametimethefilmaskswhetheritispossibleforaworldtoexistotherthanoneinwhichviolencebreedsviolence.berlinale2016