Who was Iris Murdoch?
Jean Iris Murdoch DBE (July 15, 1919 – February 8, 1999) was an Irish born British writer and philosopher, best known for her novels, which combine rich characterization and compelling plotlines, usually involving ethical or sexual themes. Her first published novel, Under the Net, was selected in 2001 by the editorial board of the American Modern Library as one of the 100 best English-language novels of the 20th century. Murdoch was the focus of Richard Eyre’s biopic, Iris, which told the story of her decline into Alzheimer’s disease through the eyes of her husband, John Bayley. In 1987, she was made a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire.
Currently a Strategy Adviser to the UK Film Council, Peter advises, inter alia, on digital, diversity but especially media literacy and education policy issues. Peter sits on the European Commission’s Media Literacy Experts’ Group and is Strategy Adviser to the Media Literacy Task Force. He is a project Director of identities, a digital-diversity content generation programme and online showcase, being developed for the UK Film Council & other regional partners (part of an EC Equal funded Programme, The Last Mile). Peter founded and directed the Lesbian and Gay Film Festival (now at the National Film Theatre in London) for some years. He worked with the Ministerio de Cultura to showcase and introduce Spanish Cinema to the UK – as part of the Tyneside International Film Festival where he was CEO and Programme Director. He has published Spanish Cinema since Franco (Deutsch 1990), on current policy developments in The European Digital Cinema Forum Guide to Digital Cinema Production (Focal
