Stamped Film Festival is dedicated to providing a vibrant cultural experience to Pensacola by using the unique expression of films with a specific focus on the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) community to foster awareness, inclusion, and diversity.
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
The Board of Directors comprises of individual volunteers from the community who help steward the overall health of the organization. They guide our mission and strategy, oversee the health and ethics of the organization, and ensure that Stamped Film Festival (finances, staff, brand, etc.) it needs to fulfill its mission, and prioritizes equity and inclusion in all that they do.
If you are interested in serving on our 2023-2024 board, please review our board expectations and contact us!
Executive Team
Sid Williams-Heath | The Clark Family Cultural Center | President
Laynie Gibson, MA, LMHC, CGP | Private Practice | Vice-President
Jarot Scarbrough | Anglin Reichmann Armstrong | Treasurer
Aurora Osborne | University of West Florida | Secretary
David Newton | Baptist Healthcare | Past President
Board Members
Scott Harding | Northwestern Mutual
Julie Still-Rolin | Evolve n' Thrive
Robert Lambrisky | Baptist Healthcare
Chesley Polk | Polkadot Entertainment
Devin Cole | PensaPride
FUTURE FORWARD >>
Through incremental growth, Stamped Film Festival will become a leading presence promoting awareness, inclusion, and diversity throughout the Gulf Coast region. This will include multiple film-oriented events throughout the year in addition to the annual multi-day festival. All events, including the festival, would remain free of charge and open to all.
FESTIVAL HISTORY
Our name — Stamped Film Festival, Pensacola’s LGBTQ Film Festival — was inspired by efforts of the LGBTQ+ community in the mid-1990s to highlight the impact of LGBTQ tourism. After some local officials and business owners spoke out against gay and lesbian visitors, including annual Memorial Day Weekend activities which draw tens of thousands of people to the area, many LGBTQ residents and visitors began to stamp the cash they spent with the words “GAY MONEY” and/or a pink triangle. That year, Christopher Street South, a local LGBTQ+ publication, estimated that gay and lesbian tourists spent $25 million annually in the area.
The Stamped Film Festival highlights the artistic contributions both nationally and internationally of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBTQ+) films and filmmakers. The unique ability of film to transcend stereotypes and relate to the viewer opens the door to a dialogue about the LGBTQ+ experience, building a stronger and more open Pensacola
Stamped Film Festival was spearheaded in 2012 by Sara Latshaw as a means to create a more accepting, safe, and educated community in our small Gulf Coast town of Pensacola, FL. The film festival board and organization has continued to grow over the years with increased attendance at the annual film festival and by hosting other outreach activities. Stamped showcases the artistic contribution of LGBTQ+ film and filmmakers from all over the world. In 2015 the film festival re-branded itself from Pensacola LGBTQ+ Film Fest to ‘Stamped Film Festival’, a name paying homage to the days when Memorial Day Weekend LGBTQ+ tourists stamped their money to demonstrate their significant impact on the local economy. Likewise, Stamped hopes to continue the tradition of raising awareness of the LGBTQ+ community.
Stamped Film Festival does not and shall not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion (creed), gender, gender expression, age, national origin (ancestry), disability, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, or military status, in any of its activities or operations. These activities include, but are not limited to, selection and acceptance of members, volunteers and vendors, and provision of services.We are committed to providing an inclusive and welcoming environment for all of our members, volunteers, staff, subcontractors, vendors, clients, associates, and constituents