Mackenzie Sheppard’s “Donny The Drone” has won the top prize in the narrative category at the 2018 New York City Drone Film Festival. With allusions to Ted Talks and (spoiler alert) totalitarianism, the 11-minute movie tells the story of Donny, a talking drone who has an epiphany that changes his life and perhaps that of all humanity.

Based in Japan, Sheppard has created videos for many international companies including Lexus, Honda, Nike, Tiffany, and Sony. He won the Young Director Award at Cannes in 2014.

This magazine will do an in-depth analysis of the movie in early April.