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'Unmanned: America's Drone Wars' Documentary Premieres in NYC

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MQ-9 Combat Drone
The U.S. Air Force's MQ-9 Reaper combat drone. Russian aircraft manufacturers are developing new drones that will have similar attack capabilities. (Image credit: U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Brian Ferguson)

A new documentary that investigates the impact of U.S. drone strikes premiered Wednesday (Oct. 30) in New York City.

The film, called "Unmanned: America's Drone Wars," made its debut Wednesday evening at the Sunshine Landmark Theater in Manhattan. The documentary features Rafiq ur Rehman, a primary school teacher from a mountainous region in northeast Pakistan, whose 67-year-old mother was killed by a drone strike in October 2012. Two of Rehman's children were also injured in the attack.

The full-length feature documentary is directed by Robert Greenwald, who previously produced and directed "Wal-Mart: The High Cost of Low Price" and "Koch Brothers Exposed." The film includes more than 70 separate interviews, including conversations with a former American drone operator; former Secretary of State Colin Powell; former director of the CIA David Petraeus; and Pakistani families mourning loved ones.

More information about the documentary, and screening locations, can be found on the film's official website.

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Denise Chow
Denise Chow
Live Science Contributor

Denise Chow was the assistant managing editor at Live Science before moving to NBC News as a science reporter, where she focuses on general science and climate change. Before joining the Live Science team in 2013, she spent two years as a staff writer for Space.com, writing about rocket launches and covering NASA's final three space shuttle missions. A Canadian transplant, Denise has a bachelor's degree from the University of Toronto, and a master's degree in journalism from New York University.