Twenty years ago a group of people in Tampa Bay decided to show some films showcasing the LGBT experience. That Pride Festival grew into what is now the Tampa International Gay and Lesbian Film Festival—the sixth largest LGBT festival of its kind in the country. The 20th Annual TIGLFF opens Thursday, Oct. 8 at the Tampa Theatre and runs through Sunday, Oct. 18.
Films will also be shown at the Muvico Baywalk in St. Petersburg throughout the 11-day festival.
“Turning 20—that’s a responsibility I don’t take lightly,” says TIGLFF Executive Director Chuck Henson. “I want to promise everyone that this organization is doing everything possible to make sure this year’s celebration is a world-class film festival event.”
Henson says he expects attendees to notice a more polished festival with some of the best LGBT films available. He says that TIGLFF’s customer service skills have improved as well.
“This is a community festival for our community,” Henson says. “We don’t do this for our board of directors or for our advertisers—we do it for our community.”
That approach has already boosted ticket sales for the platinum anniversary of the festival, according to John Thomas, president of the TIGLFF board. The festival’s web site, TIGLFF.com, has seen advance purchases that already outpace 2008’s numbers.
“The community stands behind the festival and has stepped up in a tough financial climate,” Thomas says, adding that several large corporate sponsors from previous years are absent in 2009. “Our audience and supporters are hurting but support us in a strong way through individual donations. That says we’re relevant and that the festival still matters deeply to a lot of people.”
A packed schedule
With well over 80 screenings scheduled in both Tampa and St. Petersburg, the 2009 TIGLFF has shaped up to be one of the largest ever. But, as in past years, TIGLFF reaches beyond the darkened theaters.
“We’re bringing a Hollywood feel to the festival this year,” Henson says.
The festival has extended personal invitations to Bay-Area personalities like local news anchors, DJs and politicians for a Red Carpet event slated for opening night, Thursday, Oct. 8, in front of the Tampa Theatre.
Out former E! News anchor Steve Kmetko will serve a guest emcee for the evening and radio and TV personality Sterling Powell will conduct red carpet interviews with celebrities as they enter the theater.
“Those will be projected onto a large screen in the plaza so people waiting for tickets can see the interviews,” Henson says. “It’s going to be an amazing experience and add a new element to opening night.”
While Kmetko doesn’t appear in any films presented by TIGLFF this year, he does have acting experience. The new community Web site MyQmunity.com is sponsoring his visit.
Other popular activities return with this year’s festival, including the men’s and women’s parties—Surge and Sugar, respectively—on Saturday, Oct. 17. Sugar will return to the Honey Pot while Surge takes off at Club Czar. Both clubs are on 7th Avenue in Ybor City.
Events also returning include the Black Tie Gala on Friday, Oct. 9, which will be held at The Ritz Ybor, and the closing night street party outside of the Tampa Theatre on Sunday, Oct. 18.
“There are some details still under wraps because we want the community to be surprised at what we’ve done this year,” Henson says. “But it’s going to be an incredible experience and it really will take us to the next level. It’s very suitable for our 20th Anniversary.”
A full schedule of films, parties and celebrity appearances can be found online at WatermarkOnline.com or TIGLFF.com.
What’s in a name?
In 2007, Henson and then-president Christopher Constantinou unveiled a new branding for TIGLFF and its fundraising partner, Friends of the Festival. Within a year, almost everyone familiar with the festival referred to it as Clip. The new brand covered everything from the organization’s monthly film series to its outreach programs in the community.
But things changed earlier this year. According to Henson, the organization knew there was another Clip brand that had been trademarked. However, the board thought that its use of the name and its new logo were different and separate enough that it could move forward with a trademark. The federal government thought differently.
“It’s like Domino’s Pizza and Domino’s Sugar,” Henson says. “Both have the same name but they are different products. We are a different product and we were confident that the new brand would work. After a while we were advised by our attorney to abandon the application.”
Henson points out that the festival never abandoned its TIGLFF brand; it just incorporated the now-defunct Clip brand in 2008.
“It shows that we marketed it really well and did a good job of driving the new brand home,” Henson says. “But I’ve always said, ‘I don’t care what you call us, as long as you come.’”
