Big Drama at the Miami Gay & Lesbian Film Festival

Miami Gay and Lesbian Film Festival Director (MGLFF) Carol Coombes is out of a job. The flamboyant fiery redhead got the boot last Friday and needs a working visa to stay in the U.S.

Coombes had been on board with the MGLFF since 2001 and would have acquired her permanent residence or a green card this November.

MGLFF carried forward a $50,000 deficit due to a slump in ticket sales and decline in membership. As a result, the board decided to restructure the whole team. Board members met during the last weekend in July and decided to clean house.

Last month, two other full-time staff members, development director Keith Cromley and operations manager Lisa Niven were fired.

Mark Gilbert (aka MarkyG) is the longest-serving board member. He was recently appointed to the executive board.

He says the recent changes were necessary.

"The bottom line is the festival was going strong for a lot of years and it was time to reinvent. It was time to review the festival and take the steps we need to take to reinvigorate and reenergize the festival to its original luster and glory and there was no better time then now."

Festival Manager Kareem Tabsch left two weeks ago on his own accord. Tabsch said he wanted to take a look at the landscape of his life and take some time off to figure out what's next.

Having worked with Coombes for many years, he only had praise for her. "It was a pleasure for me to work alongside Carol Coombes for the past 6 years, and I wish her all the best. She is a very able and talented woman and I am sure she will excel at any and all future endeavors," he said.

As for Coombes' replacement, Gilbert says, "we're doing an international search for the finest person that we can find to take this festival to the next level."

Tabsch seems to have left just in time before the pink slips began flying. And Gilbert only had pleasant things to say about him, "Kareem was an absolutely phenomenal member of our staff. We will absolutely miss him; he had a dedication to this festival that was unparalleled."

So what exactly came out of the weekend session? Gilbert said, "We've come out of the meeting with a balanced fiscally sound budget for our next festival in 2009. We've come up with a strategy with new implementations and I think a renewed commitment in building and making this festival absolutely world class."

When it comes to the festival's future, Gilbert said, "It's very important that this festival survives and becomes stronger so these types of situations never happen again."

Tabsch has a similar sentiment. "The Miami Gay & Lesbian Film Festival has always been a cultural beacon for South Florida's LGBT community, and I know it will continue to be so for many, many years to come."