Drone (2014 film)
Drone is a 2014 English-language documentary film directed by Norwegian director Tonje Hessen Schei. The film explores the use of drones in warfare. "Drone" aired on the TV network Arte on , 2014. The documentary screened at several film festivals throughout 2014, winning several awards. "Drone" was released in Norway on , 2015. Premise. "Variety" reported, "'Drone' depicts the recruitment of young pilots at gaming conventions, explores the changing perceptions of what 'going to war' means, as well as the moral stance of engineers behind the technology. The docu also investigates the ways in which world leaders engage  in wars, as well as look at the struggle of anti-war and civil rights activists." Production. "Drone" was produced by Lars Løge at Flimmer Film and directed by Tonje Hessen Schei. The film received financial support from backers in Norway and from around the world. Release. Theatrical screenings. The sales outfit LevelK acquired "Drone" at the Nordic Film Market at the Gothenburg Film Festival in January 2014. A 58-minute cut of "Drone" premiered on the TV network Arte on , 2014. A 79-minute cut was edited for subsequent screenings. In October 2014, "Drone" screened at the Bergen International  Film Festival and won Best Norwegian Documentary and the Checkpoint Human Rights awards. In January 2015, it screened at the Tromsø International Film Festival and won the Norwegian Peace Film Award. In the following February, LevelK sold distribution rights to "Drone" to several major territories. "Drone" was released in Norway on , 2015. It was released in the United Kingdom on , 2015. Critical reception. John DeFore, reviewing for "The Hollywood Reporter", called "Drone" "an important contribution to debates over a means of warfare that is just in its infancy". DeFore said the documentary had an "effective and clear-headed" presentation of  multiple sides of the debate. The critic concluded, ""Drone" takes a quick look at realities of the warfare industry and asks the obvious question: How will Americans feel when another government (or non-governmental entity) has remote-controlled death hovering constantly over "our" heads?"