Miami Gay Film Fest Expands Staff, Anticipates Continued Growth

The Miami Gay & Lesbian Film Festival recently created and filled three new year-round staff positions to lead the Festival into its fourth annual event in the spring of 2002.

Joining founder and Festival Director Robert Rosenberg are Administrative Director Phillip Mathews, a former executive director of two other community non-profits; former British Film Institute staffer Carol Coombes as the new Program Manager; and former Toronto Film Festival staffer Jaie Laplante as the new Festival Coordinator. The Festival, coming off of a record-breaking previous year, continues to grow in size, stature and funding, and the increased professional staffing is part of that expansion.

As Administrative Director, Phillip Matthews will be responsible for running the organization on a day-to-day basis, producing the Festival itself, and overseeing fundraising and marketing of the event, in collaboration with the Board of Directors and other key volunteers. Matthews holds a bachelor's degree in Communications and has extensive non-profit management experience. He has served as Executive Director of nationally recognized HIV organizations in both Chicago and New York City. Previously he worked in the New York theatre world, both Off-Broadway at the non-profit Circle Repertory Company, and on Broadway serving as marketing manager for the first Angels in America production. Matthews began his time in Miami in the fall of 2000 when he worked for the local gay-rights organization SAVE Dade, and he and his partner have lived here ever since.

I have always enjoyed the arts, and when I got this opportunity to return to the cultural arena, I jumped at it, Matthews explained. The Festival is a shining example of Miami's growing artistic scene. It's amazing to see what has been accomplished with the Festival in just three years. My job is to help take the Festival to the next level ‹ to continue its growth into a premiere film world-class film venue by bringing in the administrative structure, solidifying the office systems and raising the funds needed to meet this goal."

A long-time London resident, Program Manager Carol Coombes has worked for five years at the British Film Institute on both the London International Film Festival and the London Lesbian and Gay Film Festival, administering 10 major annual events during her term there. Prior to that, she served as assistant arts access officer for the Arts Council of England, where she was responsible for funding female-led projects in a variety of media across the U.K. Coombes also worked for ten years in film production in Great Britain and. holds a postgraduate degree in film and television.

Carol brings a new level of professional expertise with her to Miami, along with an international network of connections in the film world, that is sure to make our Festival even more exciting in the years to come, explained Rosenberg, a long-time arts programmer and filmmaker whose own credits include the Emmy Award-winning classic gay documentary Before Stonewall. We are thrilled to have the opportunity to bring her to South Florida, as we continue to grow and improve.

Coombes will be working directly with Rosenberg to seek out interesting and provocative film programs. She will oversee all aspects of the production of the Festival's program, as well as serving on the Festival's Program Committee. This is really my fantasy job in my dream location, Coombes said. It is a strategic position that will allow me to consolidate a strong team. What attracted me to the Festival is that it is a young organization, which means it is a creative environment with lots of room for growth and new ideas. Because of that, the Miami Gay & Lesbian Film Festival has a huge potential to really take off. Filmmakers really want to come to Miami, and that makes the Festival continually attractive to new talent.

A Miami Beach resident for the last few years, Festival Coordinator Jaie Laplante previously worked with the Toronto Film Festival and Strand Releasing, one of the most important distributors of gay films in the U.S., as well as in film production. Laplante will be in charge of much of the nitty gritty of the office and the Festival, from preview screenings to member services to ticketing. His position, which was previously filled as only a five-month temporary slot, will provide year-round stability to the basic services of the organization.

We are so fortunate to have been able to put together a team of such qualified, experienced and enthusiastic professionals to fill our new year-round positions, says Board Co-Chair Carol Fenster We welcome them on-board and know that the community will see the difference they will make in the Festival in the coming months.

The Fourth Annual Miami Gay & Lesbian Film Festival, scheduled for April 25-May 5, 2002, promises to be even bigger and more exciting than last year's event, which reached 11,000 in ticket sales, selling out most screenings, with over 35 attending industry guests.

Major sponsors of the Miami Gay & Lesbian Film Festival this year include (to date) Southern Wine & Spirits; Mondavi Wines; Design Center of the Americas; At Your Door Printing; Regal Cinemas; Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs; Burstein Family Foundation; Dade Human Rights Foundation; Division of Cultural Affairs/Florida Department of State; Visitors and Convention Association of Miami Beach; Rene T. Rodriguez and Kent Karlock; photographer Bruce Weber and visual artist Nan Weber; Raben and Feldman Associates; and Desmond Child/Deston Songs.

For more information on the Miami Gay & Lesbian Film Festival, contact the Festival at 305.534.9924, by e-mail at festivalinfo@the-beach.net or by visiting the Festival's website at www.mglff.com.

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