Onwards and Outwards: Oranges Are Not The Only Fruit

There will be a Q&A with director Beeban Kidron following the screening.

This 1990 BBC drama series was directed by Beeban Kidron. Jeanette Winterson adapted the screenplay from her novel of the same name - a work she describes "as a document of the wilder side of religious enthusiasm, and an exploration of the power of love".

The story of a young girl adopted by fanatical working-class evangelists in the North of England in the 1960s, Oranges Are Not The Only Fruit won two BAFTAS in 1990: Best Drama and Best Actress (Geraldine McEwen), as well as the Prix d’argent at Cannes. In Winterson’s words, "when the BBC made Oranges Are Not The Only Fruit 20 years ago, we had to run it after the watershed hour of 9pm, even though it had only one very mild sex scene. And there was really nothing on TV, before Oranges that showed gay women as anything but ugly, desperate, confused, lonely, addicted, alcoholic, predatory, or going through a phase."

As well as being widely known as a breakthrough portrayal of lesbian love on screen, Oranges Are Not The Only Fruit has also been lauded for representing the fight of any individual against a rigid and repressive society.

Oranges Are Not The Only Fruit, dir. Beeban Kidron, UK 1989, 165 mins.

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Onwards and Outwards is a nationwide programme of screenings, talks, and events, which aims to establish a dialogue around the conditions of production that women face when attempting to use the moving image as a means of expression.

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Onwards and Outwards is made possible with support from the BFI, awarding funds from The National Lottery.