Boris eat your heart out
Evening All,
Wow.
Boris eat your heart out.
In less than 24 hours since sending our SOS, Stupid supporters have cycled to Team Stupid's rescue and snapped up 11 of the last 20 shares (55,000 of the 100,000 pounds) - and 93 people have paid for 2,331 quids worth of stuff for the Stupid Show (loving all the comments you've all been writing - camera-gal Zeina and writer Mark Lynas seem to be particular popular for some reason. Hmmmm, why is that?)
Here's my favourite email from a crowd-funder who's been involved since day one and has decided to buy some more shares today: "As you know, I bought into this film because I believed in alternative forms of distribution rather than a passion for climate change. But following you over the past couple of years has made me think more and more. There are limits to what I can do (my job means I need to fly) but I’ve come to realise I need to do what I can. I’m going to partly fund [my extra shares] by selling my stupid 4WD and buying a Prius. Where do I send the money?"
-> If you'd like to buy one of the 9 remaining shares, all the info is here and then contact andrew@ageofstupid.net for a chat or for the legal docs
-> If you'd like to sponsor a tambourine, blackboard or ferry for the Stupid Show, please do so here
Several people asked whether the news that the BBC had bought the film meant our money worries were over. Sadly not, as that cash goes to our lovely investors.
Meanwhile...
Win an Eco Makeover worth 15,000 quid
10:10's competition to win an eco-makeover for one lucky person's house closes tomorrow at 10.10am. If you're a UK homeowner, you'd be frankly stupid not to give yourself a shot at a solar-powered, cheaper-bills, holier-than-thou future, all for gratis. And I'm pretty damn sure (well, have heard a rumour) that Kevin McCloud will be popping round for tea with the winner.
Spend a Weekend with Team Stupid
We are gathering a merry gang of past, present and future Stupideers to cram into our office in Camden on Sat 21st and Sun 22nd to blitz our websites. Looking for laptop-owning reasonably-web-savvy volunteers who'd like to spend two days inputting data, singing along to Abba, drinking free beers and throwing pizza at Lizzie. Contact rhiannon@ageofstupid.net if you can handle that much fun of a weekend.
Remember the rubbish webcast?
Was anyone trying to watch the webcast of the UK premiere way back in March? It didn't work for ages and then it kicked in as Miliband took to the stage... trigger any memories? We've got a little courtcase going on and need witnesses who saw the webcast not working to write witness statements to support our case. It's painless, but the statements have to be at the court by end of play tomorrow (Friday) so please contact rhiannon@ageofstupid.net urgently if you can help. Mucho gracias.
BBC hearts Stupid
Lizzie and I did a bit of a masterclass thing at an industry shinding, the Sheffield doc festival, at the weekend, during which the BBC's Independents Executive (link-man to all the independent filmmakers working for the BBC), Krishan Arora, firstly announced that the Beeb are definitely going to buy the film (yippee etc) and then proceeded to make a stirring speech: "The two of you have taken so many risks all along the line - and it's people who are willing to take risks are the ones who change things. What you've done has changed the independent documentary industry forever." (That's all I managed to scribble down. Will have to wait for the video to get the rest of the quote, but it was definitely hankies-ahoy.)
1,000th Indie Screening, 15,000th Facebook fan
Champagne is popping in Ben's Indie Screenings corner of the office, as we have just celebrated our 1,000th local screening. They are spreading like a rash all across the world, from Afghanistan, Argentina and Austria to Antarctica, Australia and Alaska (next month it's place names beginning with B.....) We've also made blanket deals (ie they can screen as many times as they like for a set fee) with the NHS, Environment Agency, British Council (in all their offices in 200+ countries) and someone else really exciting which now slips my mind. If anybody works for a big institution who might like to follow suit, please contact ben@indiescreenings.net. And I thought I'd never say it, but The Age of Stupid Facebook page is rapidly taking over from this list as the best way of keeping up with Stupid news... our 15,000th fan joined this week and seemed very happy to get a free DVD. Join here: http://www.facebook.com/ageofstupid. Twitter too: http://www.twitter.com/ageofstupid
10:10's Tim is "as big as God"
Tim Nicholson has been doing a sterling job as the one-and-only coordinator of 10:10 Health, signing up hospitals and surgeries and ambulance services and anybody with a stethoscope to cut their emissions by 10% next year. This week he won a landmark court case: "that a belief in man-made climate change and the moral imperative to do something about it can be classed as a philosophical belief under British employment regulations". Go Tim. The whole story here.
The first 10:10 reject
After welcoming missile manufactures, energy companies and Spurs FC (I know, I know), 10:10 last week said it's first "Sorry, but no" to a potential recruit. Yup, Manchester Airport got the thumbs down. We just felt that sticking a few solar panels on the roof of their airport wasn't really going to help climate change much seeing as they plan to double passenger numbers by 2030. Of course if they will commit to cut their total emissions (including flights) by 10% next year, we will welcome them with open arms... Hilariously incensed tabloid froth here.
Waving not Drowning
Lizzie and I are unfortunately going to be on a UN train screening Stupid to a load of politicians and media en route to Copenhagen (as you do), but most of the rest of the UK's climate-concerned will be taking to the streets of London on the 5th December for The Wave. Coaches are being booked and blue paint mixed already - should be the biggest ever climate march.
Denying death as well as climate change?
Great George Monbiot article this week: When people are confronted with images or words or questions that remind them of death they respond by shoring up their worldview, rejecting people and ideas that threaten it and increasing their striving for self-esteem." And these letters George exchanged with denier Ian Plimer also make fascinating reading.
Razorlight and Stephen Merchant not eating meat at the Apollo tonight
Our friendly friends at Friends of the Earth are hosting a big bash tonight in support of their Food Chain campaign (global meat & dairy is responsible for more climate-changing emissions than all the cars, planes and trucks on Earth). Pretty amazing line-up including Marcus Brigstocke, Russell Howard, Richard Herring and Razorlight.
PopBitch at last
Forget Terry Wogan discussing my rescue on Radio2 (apparently), my sister is way more excited by this from the nation's premiere pop gossip column:
----------------------------------------------------
Surely not a PR stunt presented as news?
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"Does anyone know anything more about Boris coming to the recue of Age of Stupid film-maker Franny Armstrong?
"She's well known for all the novel ways she's found to publicise and distribute her film, and now, after failing to get a meeting with Boris for the last few months, she amazingly calls for help just as he's riding by, then gets him talking about the new program she's pushing. Coincidence? Hmmm. Or have I just been round popbitch for too long?"
Noodles or rice?
Oooh, look at the satellite technicians in the OB truck at our Global Premiere concentrating really really hard on how to get the uplink from the Himalayas to bounce off the remote satellite in the Arctic and then... oh no, they're choosing their Chinese takeaway... Ha.
Thank you all so much for rushing to our rescue. We are really touched.
Onwards to Copenhagen,
Franny
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