And she could be deported.
Carol Coombes, a British Citizen, has sixty days to find a job in the film industry under her worker's visa or she may have to leave the country. She was working to get her permanent residency or green card in November.
The MGLFF, now with a $50,000 deficit after this year's festival, made the decision this Friday. Coombes joined the festival in 2001 and became director a few years later. The MGLFF, which added a weekend in Fort Lauderdale this year, took a big loss when Avis Rent-a-Car, Sundance Channel and Flamingo South Beach condos, three of its major sponsors, backed out.
The board of the festival is meeting to reinvent the signature LGBT movie event and restore fiscal stability. Festival board member Mark Gilbert said:
We want to start over, with new people to rebuild this festival. `We are analyzing and critiquing every facet of this festival, to make sure we are doing it as cost efficiently and as well as we can.
Remember, this is a community festival and needs to be supported by the community. Unfortunately, the community did not rise to the level we anticipated.
Gilbert said the board fired Coombes simply because it wants ``to start over with new people.''
It's a very unfortunate complication of a very heartfelt, thought-out decision. We know that there are implications that will affect her citizenship and we are hopeful that Carol, because of her great skills, will be able to find immediate, meaningful employment.
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2 Comments
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There has to be more to it than that. They're willing to fire her right before she gets her green card? And then put out platitudes? I smell something fishy...
Bil Browning | July 29, 2008 10:32 AM
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I agree. They coudln't hold out until she got her green card?
Waymon Hudson | July 29, 2008 10:56 AM
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