Camden Movies: The Age of Stupid

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The Review - AT THE MOVIES with DAN CARRIER
Published: 12 March 2009

Pick of the Indies

AT this Sunday’s premiere of award-winning director Franny Armstrong’s latest film The Age of Stupid, stars will arrive on the green carpet on bicycles, rickshaws and solar-panelled cars.
It will also be the biggest premiere ever seen. Rather than make it a Hollywood-style showcase, Franny has invited more than 16,000 people to 64 different cinemas to watch the environmental docu-drama starring Pete Postlethwaite simultaneously across the UK. Her idea is that the more people who see the film, the more people will be inspired to act to force governments to change their energy policies.
The director used her experience from making her documentary McLibel to create a new way of funding the project. McLibel told the story of the postman and gardener who were sued by McDonald’s for handing out leaflets outside one of the restaurants suggesting it was not the healthiest place you could eat.
“I paid for that using credit cards and the goodwill of a rich boyfriend,” admits Franny.
But for The Age of Stupid, the rich boyfriend was no longer available. However, the experience of owning the rights to her work was too tempting, so she set about raising the cash. Franny sold percentages of the film to investors, ranging from people chipping in £500 to £35,000.
While many of Sunday’s screenings in Camden and Islington are sold out, you can still catch the film before it goes on general release next Friday at Vue cinemas in Shepherds Bush, Acton, Fulham, Harrow and Greenwich.

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