Franny Armstrong (born 3 February 1972) is a British

documentary film A documentary film or documentary is a non-fictional motion-picture intended to "document reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction, education or maintaining a historical record". Bill Nichols has characterized the documentary in te ...

director working for her own company,

Spanner Films Spanner Films is a small London-based documentary company founded by film director Franny Armstrong in 1997. Productions The company's earliest production was '' McLibel'' (1997/2005), a documentary film about David Morris and Helen Steel, a post ...

, and a former drummer with indie pop group The Band of Holy Joy. She is best known for three films: '' The Age of Stupid'', a reflection from 2055 about

climate change In common usage, climate change describes global warming—the ongoing increase in global average temperature—and its effects on Earth's climate system. Climate change in a broader sense also includes previous long-term changes to ...

, '' McLibel'', about the McDonald's court case and '' Drowned Out'', following the fight against the Narmada Dam Project. Armstrong pioneered the use of

crowdfunding Crowdfunding is the practice of funding a project or venture by raising money from a large number of people, typically via the internet. Crowdfunding is a form of crowdsourcing and alternative finance. In 2015, over was raised worldwide by cro ...

for independent films and developed an innovative form of film distribution known as Indie Screenings. Her most recent project is the carbon reduction campaign 10:10 which she founded in the UK in September 2009, and which is now active in more than 50 countries. On International Women's Day, 8 March 2011, she was named as one of ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers '' The Observer'' and '' The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the ...

'' newspaper's "Top 100 Women", in a list which included

Aung San Suu Kyi Aung San Suu Kyi (; ; born 19 June 1945) is a Burmese politician, diplomat, author, and a 1991 Nobel Peace Prize laureate who served as State Counsellor of Myanmar (equivalent to a prime minister) and Minister of Foreign Affairs from 2 ...

Gareth Peirce Gareth Peirce (born Jean Margaret Webb; March 1940) is a British solicitor and human rights activist. She has worked on a number of high-profile cases involving allegations of human rights injustices. Her work with Gerry Conlon and the Guildf ...

Doris Lessing Doris May Lessing (; 22 October 1919 – 17 November 2013) was a British-Zimbabwean novelist. She was born to British parents in Iran, where she lived until 1925. Her family then moved to Southern Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe), where she remain ...

Arundhati Roy Suzanna Arundhati Roy (born 24 November 1961) is an Indian author best known for her novel ''The God of Small Things'' (1997), which won the Booker Prize for Fiction in 1997 and became the best-selling book by a non-expatriate Indian author. S ...

and

Oprah Winfrey Oprah Gail Winfrey (; born Orpah Gail Winfrey; January 29, 1954), or simply Oprah, is an American talk show host, television producer, actress, author, and philanthropist. She is best known for her talk show, ''The Oprah Winfrey Show'', b ...

. Her father is the television producer Peter Armstrong.

Education

Armstrong read

zoology Zoology ()The pronunciation of zoology as is usually regarded as nonstandard, though it is not uncommon. is the branch of biology that studies the animal kingdom, including the structure, embryology, evolution, classification, habits, an ...

University College London , mottoeng = Let all come who by merit deserve the most reward , established = , type = Public research university , endowment = £143 million (2020) , budget = ...

and her thesis was ''Is the human species suicidal?''

Career

Armstrong's first documentary, '' McLibel'' (1997, 2005), is an account of the McDonald's libel trial, the longest-running court action in English legal history. Filmed over ten years with no commission, no budget and a voluntary crew – including

Ken Loach Kenneth Charles Loach (born 17 June 1936) is a British film director and screenwriter. His socially critical directing style and socialist ideals are evident in his film treatment of social issues such as poverty ('' Poor Cow'', 1967), homelessn ...

, who directed the courtroom reconstructions – it gained attention when lawyers prevented its broadcast, first at

BBC One BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's flagship network and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includes BBC News television bulletins, ...

and then at

Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network operated by the state-owned Channel Four Television Corporation. It began its transmission on 2 November 1982 and was established to provide a fourth television service ...

in 1997. Eight years later - after the 'McLibel Two' had defeated the

British government ga, Rialtas a Shoilse gd, Riaghaltas a Mhòrachd , image = HM Government logo.svg , image_size = 220px , image2 = Royal Coat of Arms of the United Kingdom (HM Government).svg , image_size2 = 180px , caption = Royal Arms , date_est ...

at the

European Court of Human Rights The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR or ECtHR), also known as the Strasbourg Court, is an international court of the Council of Europe which interprets the European Convention on Human Rights. The court hears applications alleging that ...

– it was finally broadcast on BBC2 at 10.30pm on a Sunday, to an estimated 1 million viewers. It was well received by critics, with ''

Time Out Time-out, Time Out, or timeout may refer to: Time * Time-out (sport), in various sports, a break in play, called by a team * Television timeout, a break in sporting action so that a commercial break may be taken * Timeout (computing), an engine ...

'' crediting Armstrong with "gusto and wit" in telling a story that "will satisfy both head and heart". ''The Guardian'' concluded that ''McLibel'' was "absolutely unmissable". ''McLibel'' was broadcast on television in 15 countries, and in cinemas in the US in summer 2005, and this was followed in the UK in 2006. ''McLibel'' was nominated for numerous awards, including th
Grierson Documentary Award
and the

British Independent Film Awards The British Independent Film Awards (BIFA) is an organisation that celebrates, supports and promotes British independent cinema and filmmaking talent in United Kingdom. Nominations for the annual awards ceremony are announced in early November, ...

. It was one of only two British films, with the other being Michael Buerk's original news report which inspired ''

Live Aid Live Aid was a multi-venue benefit concert held on Saturday 13 July 1985, as well as a music-based fundraising initiative. The original event was organised by Bob Geldof and Midge Ure to raise further funds for relief of the 1983–1985 fami ...

'', picked for the

British Film Institute The British Film Institute (BFI) is a film and television charitable organisation which promotes and preserves film-making and television in the United Kingdom. The BFI uses funds provided by the National Lottery to encourage film production, ...

's prestigious series, "Ten Documentaries which Changed the World". Armstrong's second feature documentary, '' Drowned Out'' (2002), follows an Indian family who chose to stay at home and drown rather than make way for the

Narmada Dam The Sardar Sarovar Dam is a concrete gravity dam built on the Narmada River in Navagam near the town of Kevadiya, Narmada District, in the state of Gujarat, India. The dam was constructed to provide water and electricity to four Indian state ...

. It was nominated for Best Documentary at the

British Independent Film Awards 2004 The 7th British Independent Film Awards, held on November 30, 2004 at the Hammersmith Palais, London, honoured the best British independent films of 2004. Awards Best British Independent Film *''Vera Drake'' *'' Dead Man's Shoes'' *'' My Summer ...

and was released theatrically in America and on DVD in 2006. Armstrong released '' The Age of Stupid'' (formerly known as ''Crude'') in March 2009. It's a film that warns of the catastrophic effects of climate change using a mix of factual documentary and post-apocalyptic fictional styles. The film's UK premiere was on 15 March 2009, in London's

Leicester Square Leicester Square ( ) is a pedestrianised square in the West End of London, England. It was laid out in 1670 as Leicester Fields, which was named after the recently built Leicester House, itself named after Robert Sidney, 2nd Earl of Leicest ...

. The screening was held in a solar-powered 'cinema tent' and conducted without use of mains electricity. An independent audit conducted by Carbon Accounting Systems found the event's

carbon emissions Greenhouse gas emissions from human activities strengthen the greenhouse effect, contributing to climate change. Most is carbon dioxide from burning fossil fuels: coal, oil, and natural gas. The largest emitters include coal in China and l ...

to be 1% of those produced by a normal blockbuster premiere. Linked by satellite to 62 cinemas around the UK, the premiere received a

Guinness World Record ''Guinness World Records'', known from its inception in 1955 until 1999 as ''The Guinness Book of Records'' and in previous United States editions as ''The Guinness Book of World Records'', is a reference book published annually, listing world ...

for being the largest film premiere ever, based on number of screens. The complete five-year production of ''The Age of Stupid'' was made into a film and launched exclusively on the Guardian website. It was later broadcast on the UK's terrestrial TV network, The

Community Channel (UK) Together TV (formerly The Community Channel) is a British free-to-air television channel owned by The Community Channel, a community benefit society. The channel targets a women's audience aged 40 to 60, with programming related to health an ...

. Through her company,

, Armstrong pioneered the "

" finance model, which allows filmmakers to raise reasonable-size budgets whilst retaining ownership of their films. '' The Age of Stupid'' raised £900,000 from over 600 investors. Armstrong also developed the " Indie Screenings" distribution system, which lets anyone make a profit by holding screenings of independent films. The producers maintain a running total of all the people who have seen Spanner's films, Armstrong's production company, via cinema, TV and local screenings, as of January 2011 it stands at just over 61 million. At the UN Climate Summit in Copenhagen in December 2009, Armstrong presented a daily

web TV Streaming television is the digital distribution of television content, such as TV shows, as streaming media delivered over the Internet. Streaming television stands in contrast to dedicated terrestrial television delivered by over-the-air ae ...

show, ''The Stupid Show'', which aimed to "make sense of humankind's most important get-together". In September 2009, Armstrong founded the 10:10 climate campaign which aims to help all sectors of society to aim for a 10% cut 10% in their carbon emissions in 12 months. The campaign has amassed huge cross-societal support including household names such as

Adidas Adidas AG (; stylized as adidas since 1949) is a German multinational corporation, founded and headquartered in Herzogenaurach, Bavaria, that designs and manufactures shoes, clothing and accessories. It is the largest sportswear manufacture ...

Microsoft Microsoft Corporation is an American multinational technology corporation producing computer software, consumer electronics, personal computers, and related services headquartered at the Microsoft Redmond campus located in Redmond, Washi ...

, and

Tottenham Hotspur F.C. Tottenham Hotspur Football Club, commonly referred to as Tottenham () or Spurs, is a professional football club based in Tottenham, London, England. It competes in the Premier League, the top flight of English football. The team has play ...

The campaign launched globally in 2010 and is now active in over 50 countries. In October 2010, a short film, written by

Richard Curtis Richard Whalley Anthony Curtis (born 8 November 1956) is a New Zealand-born British screenwriter, producer and film director. One of Britain's most successful comedy screenwriters, he is known primarily for romantic comedy films, among them '' ...

, entitled '' No Pressure'' was released by the 10:10 campaign in Britain to spread awareness of climate change. The video was subsequently taken down from the organization's website due to very negative reception and offence taken. However, it is still available in several places, including

YouTube YouTube is a global online video sharing and social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by Google, and is the second mo ...

. It depicted a series of scenes in which people were asked if they were going to participate in 10:10. Those who indicated they weren't planning on participating were told "no pressure" and then blown up in a gory explosion at the press of a red button. In response to questions about the message of the film, Armstrong replied, "We 'killed' five people to make ''No Pressure'' – a mere blip compared to the 300,000 real people who now die each year from climate change". In March 2014, Armstrong announced her new project ''Undercovers'', a television drama series about the undercover police officers who infiltrated the British activist scene for 50 years, and the women who unknowingly had longterm relationships and even children with the spies. The series is being written by Simon Beaufoy (Slumdog Millionaire, Hunger Games, Full Monty), Alice Nutter, and Franny Armstrong, produced by

and executive produced by

Tony Garnett Tony Garnett (3 April 1936 – 12 January 2020) was a British film and television producer, and actor. Best known for his thirteen-year association with director Ken Loach, his work as a producer continued into the 21st century. Early life and ...

. Filming is due to start in Autumn 2014, with an early 2015 release. Armstrong is Professor of Film at the

University of Wolverhampton The University of Wolverhampton is a public university located on four campuses across the West Midlands (county), West Midlands, Shropshire and Staffordshire in England. The roots of the university lie in the Wolverhampton Tradesmen's and Mech ...

. ''Pie Net Zero'', a comedic short film about climate change and

biosequestration Biosequestration or biological sequestration is the capture and storage of the atmospheric greenhouse gas carbon dioxide by continual or enhanced biological processes. This form of carbon sequestration occurs through increased rates of photosy ...

efforts in South West England written by Armstrong and comedian Tom Walker and featuring Armstrong as herself and Walker's character

Jonathan Pie Jonathan Pie is a fictional comedic character portrayed by British comedian Tom Walker. Written by Walker and Irish comedian Andrew Doyle, Pie is a political correspondent who rants angrily about British, American, and Australian politics, gi ...

, was released in 2020.

Rescue by Boris Johnson

On 2 November 2009, Armstrong was threatened in the streets of north London by three girls whom she described as looking "like something straight out of

central casting Central Casting is an American casting company with offices in Los Angeles, New York, Georgia, and Louisiana that specializes in the casting of extras, body doubles, and stand-ins. In popular usage the term "central casting" has come to deno ...

". They pushed her against a car and pulled out an iron bar. She cried for help and was rescued by

Mayor of London The mayor of London is the chief executive of the Greater London Authority. The role was created in 2000 after the Greater London devolution referendum in 1998, and was the first directly elected mayor in the United Kingdom. The current m ...

Boris Johnson Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson (; born 19 June 1964) is a British politician, writer and journalist who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Conservative Party from 2019 to 2022. He previously served as ...

, who was cycling by. He chased off the attackers and then insisted on escorting Armstrong home. During this 20-minute journey, she suggested that he adopt the 10:10 policy for the tube and that he pedestrianise

Camden Town Camden Town (), often shortened to Camden, is a district of northwest London, England, north of Charing Cross. Historically in Middlesex, it is the administrative centre of the London Borough of Camden, and identified in the London Plan as ...

. He replied that he wanted to pedestrianise areas across London. She thanked him with a 10:10 badge and a copy of ''Age of Stupid''. When interviewed afterwards, she praised him as her "knight on a shining bicycle". Politically, she still preferred his predecessor

Ken Livingstone Kenneth Robert Livingstone (born 17 June 1945) is an English politician who served as the Leader of the Greater London Council (GLC) from 1981 until the council was abolished in 1986, and as Mayor of London from the creation of the office ...

, for whom she had campaigned but allowed that "If you find yourself down a dark alleyway and in trouble I think Boris would be of more use than Ken".

Filmography

* '' McLibel'', 1997 (50 min., TV) / 2005 (85 min.) * '' Drowned Out'', 2002 (87 min.) *
Baked Alaska
', 2002 (26 min.) * '' The Age of Stupid'', 2009 (89 min.) *
Pie Net Zero
', 2020 (14 min.)

Awards

Top 100 Women, 2011

''Guardian'' - Eco Hero of the Decade (nominated)

''New Statesman'' - 20 Green Heroes

''Evening Standard'' - 1,000 Most Influential Londoners

ITN - Women in Film & TV, Achievement of the Year 2009

Wild & Scenic, John de Graaf Environmental Filmmaker of the Year 2010
* Included in the

BBC Radio 4 BBC Radio 4 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC that replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. It broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history from the BBC's ...

Woman's Hour ''Woman's Hour'' is a radio magazine programme broadcast in the United Kingdom on the BBC Light Programme, BBC Radio 2, and later BBC Radio 4. It has been on the air since 1946. History Created by Norman Collins and originally presented ...

Power list 2020.

Writing

"Should greens vote Green?" - ''The Guardian'', May 2010

* ttps://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/cif-green/2009/sep/01/climate-change-1010 "MTV generation has something important to do" - ''The Guardian'', September 2009
"Coinflip chance of avoiding climate catastrophe" - ''Huffington Post'', September 2009

"What good was I to the Narmada villagers?" - ''Guardian'' article about the making of ''Drowned Out'', August 2002

''McLibel'' chapter in ''Battling Big Business'' book published 2002

''The Age of Stupid'' diaries

Franny Armstrong writes regular messages for the Spanner Films email list

References

External links

Franny Armstrong at ''The Age of Stupid'' website
*
The Guardian's interview with Franny Armstrong

* ttps://www.theguardian.com/environment/2009/sep/01/franny-armstrong-10-10 Birth of the 10:10 campaign - ''The Guardian'', September 2009
Spanner Films interview with Franny about why and how she made The Age of Stupid
{{DEFAULTSORT:Armstrong, Franny 1972 births Living people Alumni of University College London British documentary film directors British women film directors People educated at Godolphin and Latymer School Women documentary filmmakers