5 Minutes with Tim Brown
Q -Introduce yourself…
A -My name is Tim Brown and I am Co-Director of CINECITY. We programme the annual CINECITY Brighton Film Festival and also screenings, events and exhibitions across the year. For instance I also programme the film strand of May’s Brighton Festival.
Q -Who or what has inspired you to be involved in making film/moving image?
A -Probably the main thing that inspired me to do what i’m doing now was going to cinemas in London in the early/mid 80s such as the Electric, Scala, Lumiere and Minema. It was a real education in cinema from around the world.
Q -How has Brighton and Hove influenced your work?
A -I started work at the Duke of York’s – which shared a certain ethos with the cinemas above – as an Education Officer and Assistant Manager. It is a special place that has a really strong hold on the affections of many people.
Q -What advice would you give to creative people seeking work or wanting to develop their careers in the industry?
A -Just keep doing what you want to do and be prepared to work very hard. Don’t lose heart if at first you don’t succeed – play the long game. Also while there are some idiots working in film, there do seem to be less than in other areas of the creative arts.
Q -What’s the most interesting part of your job?
A -Watching films, working with artists and film-makers on different projects, curating the programmes of films, special events and exhibitions.
Q -What’s the most challenging aspect of your job?
A -It’s often the raising of the money to do the above.
Q -Dead or alive, who are the top three people you’d most like to collaborate with, and why?
A -I did interview JG Ballard once but I would have liked to work with him on an exhibition or something similar.
Q -If you could only take one film away with you on a desert island, what would it be and why?
A -Given that it’s a film I would need to watch again and again and also as I might need some cheering up, then definitely Spinal Tap.
