Renee Cossette Oral History Interview

Interviewee

Renee Cossette

Files

Interviewer

Andy Huse, Jill Witecki, and Joey Hager

Publication Date

2024

Date

2023-12-11

Abstract

Renee Cossette, the Festival director of the Tampa International Gay and Lesbian Film Festival (TIGLFF), joins Andy Huse, Jill Witecki, and Joey Hager in this oral history. Cossette elaborates on her involvement in its creation, the festival's conception, and Tampa Theatre's role in providing space for LGBTQIA+ films. Renee Cossette reports changes to the organization and the future of the Tampa International Gay and Lesbian Film Festival. Cossette depicts hardships putting on an LGBTQIA+ festival as she defines the moments of hardship for TIGLIFF's members, such as Ku Klux Klan protesters and concerns for the upcoming political environment. Cossette urges us to consider the political climate's impact on the festival and its patrons.

Keywords

TIGLFF, Tampa International Gay and Lesbian Film Festival, Tampa Theatre, Green Light Cinema, Tampa Bay Gay Men’s Chorus, Crescendo, GALA Choruses, Ku-Klux-Klan, Film Festivals, film, chorus, LGBTQIA+, LGBT rights, KJ Mohr, atmospheric theatres, historic theatres

Extent

0:47:37:2; 32-page transcript

Subject: geographic

Tampa, (Fla.), St. Petersburg, (Fla.), Miami (Fla.)

Language

English

Media Type

Oral history

Format

Digital only

Identifier

tampa-theatre-ohp-cossette-renee

Recommended Citation

Cossette, Renee, "Renee Cossette Oral History Interview" (2024). Tampa Theatre Oral History Collection. 7.
https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/tampa_theatre_ohp/7