In Brief

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

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By Denise Chow
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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.

Earlier this week, Rehman and his children, Nabila and Zubair, traveled to Washington, D.C., to testify before Congress, in what was the first time U.S. lawmakers heard directly from victims of an alleged American drone strike. Rehman and his family were invited to speak on Capitol Hill by Rep. Alan Grayson (D-Fla.).

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.

Follow Denise Chow on Twitter @denisechow. Follow LiveScience @livescience, Facebook & Google+.

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.