David Baldwin

We talk to David Baldwin, the man behind this month’s Midlands Arts Centre’s Square Eyes TV Festival which focuses on the array of brilliant artistic work that you can find on the small screen

BEEN THERE, DONE THAT

I started out as a culture writer for Metro newspaper, but after being made redundant I snuck my way into the world of independent cinema, which I’ve been doing now since 2009 – starting out at Birmingham’s Electric Cinema and continuing at Midlands Arts Centre (MAC). I’ve curated thousands of screenings and events, programmed festivals like the Shock & Gore horror festival and MAC’s Square Eyes TV festival. We’ve brought lots of excellent guests to MAC for special Q&A events – the likes of Pam Grier, Ken Loach, Asif Kapadia, Stephen Graham, Ricky Tomlinson, Cathy Tyson and Russell T Davies.

IT’S WHAT I DO

I’m currently the cinema programmer at MAC. You might think that means I watch films all day, but the reality is I spend about five per cent of the time doing that. Most of my job is about negotiating film rights, booking events, arranging workshops and Q&As, collaborating with nationwide festivals in terms of bringing their films to Birmingham and working on larger projects like our Expanding the Frame initiative to make cinema more accessible to everyone.

WHAT I’D LIKE TO SEE

I have two ambitions in terms of my work. Firstly, to do lots more to make cinema available and accessible to everyone, whether they’re d/Deaf, hard of hearing, visually impaired or have complex needs. It’s something the cinema industry is really running behind on, and we need to urgently fix. The second is to do more to attract high profile events to Birmingham. Our city often gets missed out by visiting talent from the world of film and TV, and I want to do more of those kinds of Q&A/panel events.

BIGGEST SUCCESS

Personally, raising two brilliant boys with my similarly brilliant wife, all three of whom have literally changed my life. Professionally, it would be launching the Square Eyes TV Festival – a big festival focused around the incredible array of brilliant artistic work that you can find on television.

BIGGEST LESSON LEARNED

Be confident in your ideas. Just because somebody else is louder and more stubborn, it doesn’t mean that your ideas aren’t as valid as theirs.

WHAT I LIKE ABOUT BRUM

It’s rammed with talent. Music, theatre, film, TV, visual arts – it’s insane how many talented people live and work here. Look at the credits of a film or TV show filmed in the UK and chances are they will be filled with people from Birmingham and the Midlands.

DOWNTIME

My two young sons take up every spare moment, but I do manage to squeeze in some amateur theatre at the Crescent Theatre in Brindleyplace, where I’ve performed in shows like the Girl On The Train, My Night With Reg and Alan Ayckbourn’s House & Garden. It’s a brilliant hidden gem that deserves more love from the city.

FINALLY…

The annual Square Eyes TV festival returns to MAC between 1 and 10 November (see macbirmingham.co.uk). Expanding the Frame is made possible by the generosity of Film Hub Midlands, BFI Film Audience Network and the National Lottery.