National Bird
Theatrical release poster
Directed bySonia Kennebeck
Produced by
  • Sonia Kennebeck
  • Ines Hoffmann Kanna
CinematographyTorsten Lapp
Edited byMaxine Goedicke
Music byInsa Rudolph
Production
companies
Distributed byFilmRise
Release dates
  • February 14, 2016 (2016-02-14) (Berlinale)
  • November 11, 2016 (2016-11-11) (United States)
Running time
92 minutes
Countries
  • United States
  • Germany
LanguageEnglish
Box office$10,656[1]

National Bird is a 2016 American-German documentary film directed and produced by Sonia Kennebeck. Wim Wenders and Errol Morris serve as executive producers.[2]

The film had its world premiere at the Berlin International Film Festival on February 11, 2016. It was released in the United States on November 11, 2016, by FilmRise.

Synopsis

The film focuses on three whistleblowers who talk about unmanned aerial vehicles commonly called drones.[3]

Release

The film had its world premiere at the Berlin International Film Festival on February 14, 2016.[4] Shortly after, FilmRise acquired U.S. distribution rights to the film.[5] It also screened at the Tribeca Film Festival on April 16, 2016.[6] The film was released in the United States on November 11, 2016.[7] It was broadcast on Independent Lens on May 1, 2017.[8]

Reception

Critical reception

National Bird received positive reviews from film critics. It holds a 100% approval rating on review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, based on 22 reviews, with a weighted average of 8.30/10.[9] On Metacritic, the film holds a rating of 75 out of 100, based on 11 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[10]

Peter Debruge of Variety gave the film a positive review writing: "Chilling testimony from those three veterans, each of whom helped to wage war from behind consoles half a world away, serves as the backbone of a film that adds its voice to mounting criticism of the U.S. drone program."[11] Alex Needham of The Guardian gave the film four out of five stars writing: "With stealth and elegance, Kennebeck brings these alarming truths into the light."[12]

See also

References

  1. ^ "National Bird". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved March 27, 2021.
  2. ^ Rezayazdi, Soheil (April 20, 2016). "Tribeca 2016: Five Questions for National Bird Director Sonia Kennebeck". Filmmaker. Retrieved May 4, 2016.
  3. ^ Roddy, Michael (February 13, 2016). "Berlin film 'National Bird' gives whistleblower view of drones". Reuters. Retrieved May 4, 2016.
  4. ^ "National Bird". Berlin International Film Festival. Retrieved March 27, 2021.
  5. ^ Pederson, Erik (April 13, 2016). "FilmRise Locks On To Drone-Warfare Docu 'National Bird'". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved March 27, 2021.
  6. ^ "National Bird | 2016 Tribeca Festival". Tribeca Film Festival. Retrieved March 27, 2021.
  7. ^ Murthi, Vikram (October 5, 2016). "'National Bird' Exclusive Trailer: Errol Morris and Wim Wenders Present Story of Drone Warfare Whistleblowers". IndieWire. Retrieved March 27, 2021.
  8. ^ "National Bird". ITVS. Retrieved March 27, 2021.
  9. ^ "National Bird (2016)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved March 27, 2021.
  10. ^ "National Bird". Metacritic. Retrieved March 27, 2021.
  11. ^ Debruge, Peter (February 15, 2016). "Berlin Film Review: 'National Bird'". Variety. Retrieved May 4, 2016.
  12. ^ Needham, Alex (April 17, 2016). "National Bird review – chilling film reveals truths about drones". The Guardian. Retrieved May 4, 2016.

External links


Categories