Beeban Kidron

Beeban Tania Kidron, Baroness Kidron, (born 2 May 1961) is a British filmmaker and an advocate for children's rights in the digital world. Kidron is Chair of 5Rights Foundation, a charity that delivers children's rights for young people online, and the joint founder of the education charity Into Film (previously FilmClub), which uses film to educate and inspire state school children aged 5–19. As a director she is best known for directing an adaptation of Jeanette Winterson's autobiographical novel Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit and Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason. Early life and education Kidron was born in north London, to Nina and Michael Kidron. Her parents were the founders and proprietors of the independent publishing house Pluto Press, which started life from the laundry room of their family home. Michael's family were South African Jews who immigrated to Israel. Michael left Israel to attend Oxford University. He went on to teach economics, and the family spent several years living in Yorkshire while he taught at the University of Hull. Beeban attended Camden School for Girls in Sandall Road, Camden. She first took up photography when she was given a camera by landscape photographer Fay Godwin during a period when she was unable to speak following a throat operation. Her photographs were spotted by photographer Eve Arnold, whom she worked for at the age of 16 for two years. Aged 20, Kidron enrolled at the National Film School as a camerawoman. At the end of her three years of film school, Kidron switched to directing and stayed on for another year.