Tampa Bay International Gay and Lesbian Film Festival

What Tampa Bay International Gay and Lesbian Film Festival does

TIGLFF (Tampa Bay International Gay and Lesbian Film Festival), legally operated by Friends of the Festival, Inc., is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit arts organization founded in 1990 and based in Tampa Bay, Florida. It produces year-round LGBTQ+ film and community programming for the Tampa Bay region, anchored by a 9-day annual film festival held across Tampa and St. Petersburg, the annual Trans Pride Weekend (evolved from the 2020-launched Tampa Bay Transgender Film Festival), and monthly film screenings at Green Light Cinema (St. Petersburg) and Sun-Ray Cinema (Tampa). The organization also produces original content, notably co-producing the documentary 'You're Loved (2023)' with Humanity Rising, and is expanding in 2026 into broader queer arts programming including art markets and community-centered events. Attendance exceeds 5,000 at the annual festival and the program guide reaches approximately 5,000 households (25,000 individuals), with 75% of attendees having attended for more than six years and 91% reporting satisfaction.

The underlying technology stack is minimal and commodity-based: film curation, screening logistics, and the Veezi online ticketing platform. The organization is staffed primarily by a Board of Directors and a small team led by a Festival Director with 300+ volunteers supporting operations. Revenue is diversified across four streams: ticket sales ($8-$15 per screening; $25-$50 for special events), multi-tier corporate sponsorships, donations (one-time and monthly), and program-guide advertising. Core customers are individual LGBTQ+ community members and allies, with a secondary B2B segment of LGBTQ-friendly businesses seeking access to a high-income demographic (40% of attendees have household income above $100,000). Distribution is exclusively regional across Tampa Bay through two partner cinema venues and special-event venues such as 1920 Ybor. TIGLFF is governed as a community-supported nonprofit with no parent company, no venture backing, and material funding from Hillsborough County, Florida Division of Cultural Affairs, and the National Endowment for the Arts.

Name

Tampa Bay International Gay and Lesbian Film Festival

Legal name

Friends of the Festival, Inc.

Website

https://tiglff.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1990

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

TIGLFF is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit arts organization founded in 1990 that produces an annual LGBTQ+ film festival, Trans Pride Weekend, and monthly film screenings across Tampa Bay for the regional LGBTQ+ community and allies, supported by ticket sales, sponsorships, donations, and grants.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Film Festival & LGBTQ+ Community Cultural Events

NAICS

Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation (71), Indoor and Outdoor Display Advertising (54185)

SIC

Services-Advertising (7310)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYBPAGAFAE

LGBTQ+ Rights & Advocacy Organizations

Business & Public Services/Nonprofit, NGO & Social Services/Civil Rights, Advocacy & Public Policy Organizations

SECONDARYBPADAGAF

Gender Equality & Women’s Rights

Business & Public Services/International Organizations & Development/Human Rights, Democracy & Governance

Keywords

• LGBTQ+ film festival
• Film screenings
• Trans pride events
• Queer arts programming
• Community cultural events

Headquarters

HQ city

Tampa

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Ticket Sales: Revenue from individual event tickets and festival passes for film screenings and special events.
2. Sponsorships: Corporate and organizational sponsorships at various tiers (Tier 1, Tier 2, Tier 3) with co-branding and promotional benefits.
3. Donations: One-time and monthly donations from supporters to sustain operations and support filmmakers.
4. Advertising: Advertising rates in program guide reaching nearly 5,000 households in the Tampa Bay area.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

TIGLFF is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) arts organization that presents year-round LGBTQ+ film screenings and community events across the Tampa Bay area. Its flagship offerings are the annual multi-day Tampa Bay LGBTQ+ Film Festival, TIGLFF's Trans Pride Weekend (formerly Tampa Bay Transgender Film Festival), and recurring monthly film screenings at Green Light Cinema and Sun-Ray Cinema. Programming is curated by volunteer screening committees and supported through ticket sales, sponsorships, donations, and grants.

Product overview

TIGLFF is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) arts organization operating as a multi-platform film and community event service. The core offering consists of the Annual LGBTQ+ Film Festival (a 9-day event across Tampa Bay), TIGLFF's Trans Pride Weekend (annual celebration featuring film screenings and community events), and year-round Monthly Film Screenings. The organization also offers sponsorship/advertising packages, volunteer programs, donation options, and maintains a Festival Archives of past events. In 2026, TIGLFF completed a major rebrand expanding beyond film to include other queer arts experiences such as art markets and community-centered events.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Tampa Bay Transgender Film Festival: A dedicated film festival celebrating transgender and gender-diverse storytelling, now evolved into TIGLFF's Trans Pride weekend.
• TIGLFF's Trans Pride

Products and services

• Annual LGBTQ+ Film Festival The flagship multi-day annual film festival showcasing films and videos by, for, or about the LGBTQ+ community, featuring film screenings, filmmaker panels, and special programming across Tampa Bay venues. Designed for LGBTQ+ community members, allies, and filmmakers in the Tampa Bay area.
• TIGLFF's Trans Pride Weekend Annual celebration of transgender and gender-diverse stories and experiences, featuring film screenings, community events, dance parties, and social gatherings, including Night of 1000 Oscars, Queer Fandom Art Market, and Trans Community Picnic. Designed for transgender, gender-diverse individuals, and allies in the Tampa Bay region.
• Monthly Film Screenings Year-round monthly film screenings held at Green Light Cinema in St. Petersburg and Sun-Ray Cinema in Tampa, offering ongoing LGBTQ+ cinema access to the Tampa Bay community.
• Sponsorship & Advertising Packages Partnership opportunities for brands to reach the Tampa Bay LGBTQ+ community through tiered sponsorships (Tier 1, Tier 2, Tier 3), co-branding, and program guide advertising reaching nearly 5,000 households and 25,000 individuals. Designed for LGBTQ+ friendly businesses seeking visibility.
• Festival Pass Annual festival pass offering access to the year's film festival screenings and events. Designed for Tampa Bay LGBTQ+ community members and allies wanting full festival access.
• Single Event Tickets Individual ticket purchases for specific film screenings and special events sold through the Veezi ticketing platform, priced at $8–$15 for film screenings and $25–$50 for special events.

Quantifiable outcome

• 75% of attendees have attended for longer than six years
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

14 partnerships are on record, tiered core, strategic and minor.

• St Pete PridecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020St Pete Pride partnered with TIGLFF to launch the Tampa Bay Transgender Film Festival in 2020 as a fully virtual event around Transgender Day of Remembrance.
• Arts Council of Hillsborough CountycoreGTM or Marketing PartnerMajor funding and support partner; makes TIGLFF possible in part through arts council grants
• Hillsborough Board of County CommissionerscoreGTM or Marketing PartnerCounty-level support for TIGLFF programs and community events
• Green Light CinemacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrimary screening venue for St. Petersburg; hosts monthly screenings and Trans Pride film events
• Sun-Ray CinemacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrimary screening venue for Tampa; hosts monthly screenings and Trans Pride film events
• Central Florida Ballroom CollectivecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for Night of 1000 Oscars Trans Pride Dance Party & Ball; brings ballroom culture and competition to the event
• Dyke Nite St PetestrategicStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborates on Trans Pride Dance Party, bringing local queer and trans community together for celebrations
• Swamp BoisstrategicGTM or Marketing PartnerTransmasc collective creating joyful, liberatory space; co-sponsor of Gender Affirming Care Fund at Trans Pride events
• Doll DynastystrategicGTM or Marketing PartnerTampa Bay trans girl social group; co-sponsor of Gender Affirming Care Fund at Trans Pride events
• Attic CatminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner for Queer Fandom Art Market; brings local queer vendors and artists to Trans Pride celebrations
• Humanity RisingstrategicStrategic or Co-development PartnerDocumentary production partnership; produced and premiered 'You're Loved (2023)' featuring stories of young transgender people in Florida and Texas
• Creative PinellasminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCultural support partner for arts programming in Pinellas County
• Florida Division of Cultural AffairsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerState-level arts funding and cultural support
• National Endowment for the ArtsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerFederal arts funding support for LGBTQ+ arts programming

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Regional players

• Iris Prize (Cardiff, Wales): Iris Prize is a U.K.-based LGBTQ+ short film festival in Cardiff, Wales. Comparable in mission (LGBTQ+ film curation) and structure, but operates as an international short-film-focused festival — a thematic peer with different format and geography.
• Inside Out (Toronto LGBTQ+ Film Festival): Inside Out is Canada's largest LGBTQ+ film festival, operating in Toronto. Highly comparable mission and programming model (annual festival + year-round screenings + filmmaker support) but operates in a different geography with different funding base (Canadian arts councils vs. U.S. NEA/state funding).

Others

• St Pete Pride: St Pete Pride is the largest LGBTQ+ community event in Tampa Bay and a partner of TIGLFF (launched Tampa Bay Transgender Film Festival together in 2020). It is an adjacent ecosystem peer — not a film festival but a related LGBTQ+ community organization in the same geography that TIGLFF cross-promotes and co-programs with.
• Tampa Bay LGBT Chamber (formerly Tampa Bay Business Guild): Tampa Bay LGBT Chamber is a regional LGBTQ+ business organization founded in 1982; one of the three organizations that founded TIGLFF in 1990. Adjacent ecosystem peer serving the same LGBTQ+ community in Tampa Bay, with overlapping corporate sponsorship and audience pools.

Broad incumbents

• Outfest (Los Angeles LGBTQ+ Film Festival): Outfest is the largest LGBTQ+ film festival in the U.S. and operates year-round as an LGBTQ+ media arts organization. It is a broad incumbent peer — same core category but materially larger scope (multiple festivals, archival programs, LGBTQ+ media advocacy) and a major brand among LGBTQ+ film festivals globally.

Direct peers

• Wicked Queer: The Boston LGBT Film Festival: Wicked Queer (formerly Boston LGBT Film Festival) is a regional LGBTQ+ film festival operating since 1984 with annual programming and community events. Directly comparable to TIGLFF in mission, regional U.S. scope, festival-pass ticketing model, and reliance on community partnerships.
• NewFest (New York LGBTQ+ Film Festival): NewFest is a New York-based nonprofit LGBTQ+ film festival offering annual screenings, year-round programs, and community events. Directly comparable to TIGLFF in mission, programming mix (film + community events), and nonprofit structure, but operates in a much larger media market with corresponding scale advantages.
• ImageOut: The Rochester LGBTQ+ Film Festival: ImageOut is a Rochester, NY-based LGBTQ+ film and arts nonprofit operating an annual festival plus year-round screenings and community events. Closely mirrors TIGLFF's structure, scale, and community-driven model, making it one of the most relevant direct peers for benchmarking.
• Reeling: The Chicago LGBTQ+ International Film Festival: Reeling is the second-longest-running LGBTQ+ film festival in the U.S. (since 1981), based in Chicago. Highly comparable to TIGLFF in mission, scale tier, and nonprofit/community-event model, and is among the closest structural peers for a regional U.S. LGBTQ+ film festival.
• Frameline (San Francisco International LGBTQ+ Film Festival): Frameline is the longest-running LGBTQ+ film festival in the world (since 1977), operating in San Francisco. It is the most direct peer to TIGLFF — both are nonprofit LGBTQ+ film festivals with annual flagship events, year-round screenings, filmmaker support programs, and similar sponsorship/donation revenue models — but Frameline operates at significantly larger scale with broader national recognition.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/tiglff
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCTg4LtupYCSh1wA2Z5VNigw
• Facebookfacebook.com/TIGLFF
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/tampa-international-gay-and-lesbian-film-festival
• Instagraminstagram.com/tiglff

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Tampa Bay International Gay and Lesbian Film Festival