Iannucci was speaking at the annual European film awards, founded in Berlin in 1988 as a kind of arthouse alternative to the Oscars, where The Death of Stalin was named best comedy film of 2018.
Its five awards included best film, best screenplay and best director.
Apart from in a short comedy sketch by the presenters, the word Brexit was barely uttered at the ceremony in Seville.
Other special awards went to the film-maker Costa-Gavras and the Spanish actor Carmen Maura.