Franny Armstrong

Franny Armstrong (born 3 February 1972) is a British documentary film director working for her own company, Spanner Films, and a former drummer with indie pop group The Band of Holy Joy. She is primarily known for three films: climate change blockbuster The Age of Stupid, McLibel, about the infamous McDonald's court case and Drowned Out, following the fight against the Narmada Dam Project. Armstrong pioneered the use of crowdfunding 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. In November 2009, Armstrong was rescued by London mayor Boris Johnson from an assault by a gang of girls in north London. On International Women's Day, March 8 2011, she was named as one of the Guardian newspaper's "Top 100 Women", in a list which included Aung San Suu Kyi, Gareth Pierce, Doris Lessing, Arundhati Roy and Oprah Winfrey.