Ballet In January 2020, Carlos Acosta was appointed as Director of Birmingham Royal Ballet, succeeding David Bintley. In February, he announced the plans for his inaugural season, including a 'Curated by Carlos' festival, and special performances with renowned ballet dancer Alessandra Ferri. In February, Acosta announced the plans for his inaugural 2020-2021 season. Plans included the three-week 'Curated by Carlos' summer festival, which included the world premiere of Chacona, a new duet for Acosta and ballet dancer Alessandra Ferri, by Acosta Danza’s Goyo Montero. Birmingham Royal Ballet was also scheduled to perform Carlos Acosta’s Don Quixote at the Birmingham International Dance Festival in June 2020, though this was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In February 2021, Acosta and the BRB premiered their first digital commission, a film titled "Empty Stage," scored by a song of the same name written and performed by American songwriter Benjamin Scheuer, who was accompanied by the Royal Ballet Sinfonia orchestra. The film was called "dazzling...a dance-lover's dream" by the Huffington Post. Television and film performances In 1997 CBS News filmed Acosta for a special report for their programme 60 Minutes (broadcast in January 1998), following him during his performances for the Houston Ballet and relaxing with friends and family in Cuba. Television performances include two live BBC broadcasts from The Royal Opera House: the Opening Celebration in December 1999 when Acosta performed the Man's Solo in Le Corsaire, and in February 2000 the role of Franz in Ninette de Valois' Coppélia. Most recently Acosta was featured in "The Reluctant Ballet Dancer", a programme in the Imagine series shown on BBC1 on 9 July 2003 and presented by Alan Yentob. He was also interviewed for the BBC's HARDtalk programme which was broadcast on Christmas Day 2003. In 2006 he was filmed in the BBC studios performing a dance from Tocororo, which was broadcast on the Newsnight programme. On 5 February 2004, the world première of Dance Cuba: Dreams of Flight, a film by Cynthia Newport featuring Acosta and other former members of the National Ballet of Cuba, took place at the Miami International Film Festival. Acosta also appeared as a main character in the Natalie Portman-directed segment of New York, I Love You. Acosta's life story is told in the 2018 film Yuli: The Carlos Acosta Story, in part of which he plays his adult self; he was nominated for the Goya Award for Best