The directors of The Personal History of David Copperfield and Escape from Pretoria will each receive the new award by Black Nights Film Festival, honouring diversity and inclusion in cinema.

The DDA Spotlight Award, which Tallinn Black Nights has introduced in timing with the 50th anniversary of global entertainment communications company DDA, honours artists and filmmakers whose recent work takes a concerted step forward in improving diversity and inclusion in the film industry and cinema culture. Tallinn Black Nights and DDA today named filmmakers Armando Iannucci (Veep, In the Loop, The Death of Stalin) and Francis Annan (Escape from Pretoria, Unsaid Stories) as the recipients of the award in its inaugural year.

Armando Iannucci will be honoured for his latest feature, The Personal History of David Copperfield, an inclusively cast adaptation of the Charles Dickens classic. The BIFA-winning, BAFTA-nominated film stars Dev Patel in the title role, alongside an ensemble cast including Rosalind Eleazar, Tilda Swinton and Peter Capaldi. Iannucci directed and produced the film, in addition to sharing writing credits with frequent collaborator Simon Blackwell. The film was co-financed by FilmNation Entertainment and Film4. Searchlight Pictures is releasing in the US and it is attracting attention among critics as well as AMPAS and HFPA members.

Francis Annan will be honoured for his latest film, Escape from Pretoria, starring Daniel Radcliffe, Daniel Webber and Ian Hart, which Annan directed and wrote. The film tells the incredible true-life story of anti-apartheid activist Tim Jenkin (Radcliffe), who was sentenced to a South African prison for 12 years but then hatched a daring plan of escape. The film had its world premiere at the 2020 Glasgow Film Festival, played Adelaide and Guadalajara International Film Festivals, and was successfully released in international markets earlier this year.

Due to recently announced Covid restrictions in the UK and much of Europe, Iannucci and Annan will attend the award ceremony virtually on Sunday, 15th November.

Scottish-born Armando Iannucci is an award-winning writer, filmmaker and broadcaster who has written, directed, and produced numerous critically acclaimed films, series and radio comedy shows. His screenplay for the film In the Loop was nominated for an Academy Award, and his iconic BBC series, The Thick of It, was nominated for 13 BAFTA Awards, winning five. Iannucci's HBO series, Veep, picked up numerous awards, including 17 Emmys. His most recent series, Avenue 5, aired earlier this year on HBO and was renewed for a second season, which he is currently in production for.

Francis Annan began his career at the BBC, directing commercials, promos and episodes of prime-time one-hour drama for BBC One. He has won several awards for his short films, several of which have starred BAFTA-winning actors, and counts Steve McQueen and Stephen Frears as mentors. Other recent work includes ITV’s Unsaid Stories, for which Annan directed one of four short dramas inspired by Black Lives Matter and exploring racism in its many forms. His short, Look at Me, stars Pippa Bennett-Warner (REAL, Harlots) and Paapa Essiedu (I May Destroy You, Gangs of London), and follows a young professional couple who are stopped by police while out driving on a date.

Armando Iannucci commented, ‘I’m very grateful to the Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival for honouring us with this award. It’s important that the cinema we make reflects who we are. This story may have been written 170 years ago but it speaks to us now. Diversity was crucial to our process making The Personal History of David Copperfield, not least because to make the best film you should be able to choose the best talents for the part. Hopefully this award will inform how other period dramas are cast in future.’

Francis Annan remarked, ‘It's a genuine honour to receive this recognition. This story shows that anyone, anywhere on earth can champion the cause of racial equality in our world - and it's often a significant sign when people from opposing sides join forces to end tyranny. The “white man's Robben Island,” Pretoria Political Prison, was the only white-only political prison in the entire world; so to be able to tell this story, based on Tim Jenkin's autobiography - who was depicted in Daniel Radcliffe's wonderfully restrained performance - was not only a profound honour, but also a chance to tell an original story that had never been told. I hope to continue making the kind of cinema that highlights our history in a way that's engaging. I'm delighted to be a part of the cinematic community, with all of its challenges ahead, and yet with an ability to story tell that is as yet unparalleled. Long live cinema!’

Tiina Lokk, director of Tallinn Black Nights, commented: ‘We are thrilled to honour two exciting talents in the brilliant Armando Iannucci and impressive rising filmmaker Francis Annan. Copperfield has made an impact with audiences across the globe and sparked important conversations, particularly relating to its inclusive casting in adapting a beloved classic. Escape from Pretoria tells an important story about anti-apartheid activism and carries a message that is relevant to this day. Between this and Francis’ recent television work on Unsaid Stories, he has established himself as a talent to watch and has already contributed so much to both the film industry and wider political and cultural conversations we are having through his work.’

DDA founder Dennis Davidson, who will be in Tallinn for the award ceremony, added: ‘Both Francis and Armando are inspiring talents whose choice of material and bold creative decisions we truly admire. We are delighted to honour them both with the first ever DDA Spotlight Award.’

The award ceremony will take place on Sunday, 15th November, followed by a screening of The Personal History of David Copperfield at 4.15pm. A screening of Escape from Pretoria will then take place at 6pm on Monday, 16th November.

Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival will run from 13th-29th November.

Francis Annan is represented by Artist Rights Group and ICM. Armando Iannucci is represented by PBJ Management, UTA and CAA.

Biographies

Armando Iannucci / Co-Writer, Producer, Director
Armando Iannucci is a writer and broadcaster, who has written, directed and produced numerous critically-acclaimed television and radio comedy shows. His screenplay for the film In The Loop was nominated for an Oscar at the Academy Awards, and his iconic series for BBC – The Thick of It – was nominated for 13 BAFTA Awards, winning 5 during its four-series run. Armando’s HBO comedy Veep has picked up numerous awards including four Emmys for Outstanding Comedy Series over the last four years, and his BAFTA-nominated film adaptation of Charles Dickens’ David Copperfield was released in January 2020. In 2017 he published Hear Me Out, a new book on classical music, and released the feature film The Death of Stalin, which was nominated for 2 BAFTAs and won Best Comedy at the European Film Awards. He is currently in the midst of pre-production on Season 2 of his new HBO series, Avenue 5, which stars Hugh Laurie and Josh Gad.

Francis Annan
Francis directed and wrote the film ESCAPE FROM PRETORIA starring Daniel Radcliffe, Daniel Webber and Ian Hart, which was released this past March. The film tells the incredible true-life story of anti-apartheid activist Tim Jenkin, who was sentenced to a South African prison for 12 years but then hatched a daring plan of escape.

Francis began his career at the BBC, directing commercials, promos and episodes of prime-time one-hour drama for BBC One. He has won several awards for his short films, several of which have starred BAFTA-winning actors, and counts Steve McQueen and Stephen Frears as mentors.