Beeban Kidron facts for kids

Quick facts for kids The Right Honourable The Baroness Kidron OBE
Official portrait, 2024
Member of the House of Lords Lord Temporal
Incumbent
Assumed office 26 June 2012 Life peerage
Personal details
Born	Beeban Tania Kidron (1961-05-02) 2 May 1961 (age 64) North London, England
Spouse	Lee Hall ​ (m. 2003)​
Children	2
Parent	Michael Kidron (father)
Alma mater	National Film School
Occupation	Film director, producer, campaigner

Beeban Tania Kidron, Baroness Kidron, OBE (born 2 May 1961) is a British filmmaker and politician. She is known for her work to protect children's rights in the digital world. She has helped create rules for online safety and privacy for young people around the globe.

Baroness Kidron is a member of the United Kingdom's House of Lords, which helps make the country's laws. She is a crossbench peer, meaning she does not belong to any political party. She is also an advisor at Oxford University and the founder of the 5Rights Foundation, a charity that fights for children's rights online.

Before joining the House of Lords, she was a successful film director and producer. She also started the charity Filmclub, which is now called Into Film.

Early Life and School

Beeban Kidron was born in north London. Her parents, Nina and Michael Kidron, started their own book publishing company, Pluto Press, from their home. Her father's family were South African Jews who moved to Israel. Michael later moved to England to study at Oxford University.

When Beeban was a teenager, she had a throat operation and could not speak for a while. During this time, photographer Fay Godwin gave her a camera. This started her love for photography. Famous photographer Eve Arnold saw her photos and hired her as an assistant when she was 16.

At age 20, Kidron went to the National Film School to study how to be a camerawoman. She later switched to directing.

Career as a Filmmaker

Early Documentaries and TV Shows

In the 1980s, Kidron started making documentaries. Her first, Carry Greenham Home (1983), was about the women's peace protests at Greenham Common Women's Peace Camp.

In 1989, she directed a TV series based on the book Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit. The show was a huge success and won three BAFTA awards, which are like the British Oscars. The Guardian newspaper later named it one of the best TV series ever made.

She also directed other popular TV films like Antonia and Jane and Itch.

Hollywood and Feature Films

In 1992, Kidron moved to Hollywood to direct the movie Used People, starring famous actors Shirley MacLaine and Marcello Mastroianni.

In 1995, she directed To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar. This comedy film starred Wesley Snipes and Patrick Swayze. A few years later, she directed Swept from the Sea, a love story starring Rachel Weisz.

In 2004, she directed the hit movie Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason. It starred Renée Zellweger, Colin Firth, and Hugh Grant.

Recent Work

In 2013, Kidron made a documentary called InRealLife. It explored how teenagers use the internet. Making this film inspired her to start campaigning for children's safety online.

In 2017, she produced the movie Victoria & Abdul. It starred Judi Dench as Queen Victoria.

Helping Kids Through Film

In 2006, Kidron started Filmclub, a charity that sets up free after-school film clubs in schools across England and Wales. The clubs give students a chance to watch many different kinds of movies, from new blockbusters to old classics.

Students are encouraged to write reviews of the films on the Filmclub website. Sometimes, people who work in the film industry visit the clubs to talk to the students. In 2013, Filmclub joined with another charity to become Into Film.

Working in Politics

Joining the House of Lords

In 2012, Kidron was made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for her work in film.

On 25 June 2012, she became a life peer, which means she has a lifetime position in the House of Lords. Her official title is Baroness Kidron. As a crossbencher, she is independent and does not take sides with any political party. This allows her to focus on issues she cares about, like technology and children's rights.

Fighting for Children's Rights Online

Kidron started the 5Rights Foundation in 2013. The goal of this charity is to make the internet a safer and better place for children. It works with experts, governments, and companies to create policies that protect young people online.

One of her biggest achievements is the Age Appropriate Design Code. This is a set of rules for online services, like social media apps and video games, that are used by children. Kidron introduced the idea as part of the UK's Data Protection Act 2018.

The Code requires companies to design their services with children's safety and well-being in mind. It became law in the UK in 2021. It was the first law of its kind in the world and has inspired similar rules in other countries, including the United States.

Personal Life

Kidron is married to the playwright Lee Hall, who wrote the story for Billy Elliot. They have two children.

Filmography

Title	Year	Director	Editor	Cinemat-ographer	Producer	Production Company	Notes
Victoria & Abdul	2017
InRealLife	2013					Studio Lambert	Documentary film
..., Death and the Gods	2011					BBC, Cross Street Films	series documentary
Hippie Hippie Shake	2010					Universal, Working Title	Unreleased
Anthony Gormley: Making Space	2007					C4, Cross Street Films
Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason	2004					Universal, Working Title
Murder	2002					BBC	TV miniseries
Cinderella	2000					C4	TV movie
Texarkana	1998					Sacret, NBC	TV movie
Swept from the Sea	1997					Sony, Tapson Steel
Eve Arnold in Retrospect	1996					BBC, Omnibus
To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar	1995					Universal, Amblin
Great Moments in Aviation	1993					BBC, Miramax
Used People	1992					20th Century Fox, Largo
4 Play	1991					C4, Chrysalis	Episode: Itch
Antonia and Jane	1991					BBC, Miramax
Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit	1989					BBC, A&E
Vroom	1988					Film 4
Global Gamble	1985					Diverse, C4
Alex	1985					NFTS
Carry Greenham Home	1983					Contemporary Films, C4

Awards and nominations

See also

In Spanish: Beeban Kidron para niños

• List of members of the House of Lords
• List of female film and television directors
• List of LGBT-related films directed by women