Franny Armstrong

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Franny Armstrong (2013)

Franny Armstrong (born February 3, 1972 in London ) is a British documentary filmmaker , film producer , director and environmental activist .

Life

At the age of seven, she wrote and directed her first play in elementary school. She started playing the drums as a child . In response to an advertisement in Melody Maker , she became the drummer for the London independent band The Playthings . The group split up after three years and one album. Armstrong then became a drummer with The Band of Holy Joy , which was under contract with the music label Rough Trade . She graduated from University College London with a degree in zoology . Her dissertation “Is the human species out to commit suicide?” Provided the basis for her later film The Age of Stupid (2009).

In 1997 Armstrong founded her production company Spanner Films in Camden / London . In the same year she made her first documentary with McLibel about a sensational defamation lawsuit by McDonald’s against two environmental activists, which led to one of the longest court cases in England and to a loss of image for the fast food chain (→ McLibel case ). The film was made without a client or budget only with the help of a crew of volunteers, including director Ken Loach , who staged the court hearing. The first broadcast in 1997 was stopped by lawyers for BBC One and Channel 4 . The film wasn't shown on BBC Two until eight years later, after the case was ruled by the European Court of Human Rights . The documentary had considerable viewership and received numerous critics. McLibel was nominated for "Best Documentary" at the British Independent Film Awards . It has been shown in fifteen countries.

In 2002 Armstrong shot her second documentary, Drowned Out , about the resistance of Indian families to the threat of their homes being destroyed as a result of the flooding of the Sardar-Sarovar dam . The film was nominated for "Best Documentary" at the 2004 British Independent Film Awards. Also in 2002 was the short documentary film Baked Alaska , which refers to the consequences of global warming .

Armstrong's film The Age of Stupid , an end-time docu-drama starring Pete Postlethwaite, was released in March 2009 .

In September 2009 Armstrong founded the 10:10 climate protection campaign, initially with the aim of reducing CO 2 emissions in Great Britain by 10% in 2010 and raising awareness of the issue of climate protection among the population (the project is now running internationally). As part of the campaign, she and Richard Curtis released the short film No Pressure in October 2010 .

In November 2009, Armstrong was attacked with iron bars on the street in Camden by three youths. She was saved by London Mayor Boris Johnson , who happened to be passing by on a bicycle.

Armstrong lives and works in London.

Filmography

  • 1997/2005: McLibel (1997: 50 min., TV film) / (2005: 85 min.)
  • 2002: Drowned Out (87 min.)
  • 2002: Baked Alaska (26 min.)
  • 2009: The Age of Stupid (89 min.)
  • 2010: No Pressure (short film, 4 min.)

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ A b Franny Armstrong. (No longer available online.) The Age of Stupid, archived from the original on July 28, 2010 ; Retrieved November 27, 2010 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / ageofstupid.tao.de
  2. ^ Spanner Films. Spanner Films, accessed November 27, 2010 .
  3. ↑ Franny Armstrong. Spanner Films, accessed November 27, 2010 .
  4. ^ Dan Carrier: Mayor rides to rescue. Camden News, November 5, 2009, accessed November 27, 2010 .
personal data
SURNAME Armstrong, Franny
BRIEF DESCRIPTION British documentary filmmaker, film producer, director and environmental activist
DATE OF BIRTH 3rd February 1972
PLACE OF BIRTH London