Shirley Lasseter was born in Miami, Florida, in 1950 and graduated Cum Laude from the University of Florida in psychology. She founded the Cinema Program and served as Cinema Program Director at the Hippodrome Theatre, Gainesville, Florida, for over 30 years. Passionate about film and the environment, Lasseter creates videos that chronicle our changing world. She initiated the first environmental film festival in Gainesville and for many years has been instrumental in bringing films to that community that featured the most pressing social and environmental issues. Her filmography also includes many pieces documenting her friendships.
“As a teenager, I dreamed of being a filmmaker,” she has said. “For the longest time, I thought that this goal had slipped by me, but now I realize that I was a filmmaker, just not the Hollywood type. Sometime in the early 70’s, I bought one of those big camcorders.. it must have weighed 20 pounds (1/5 of my weight). I carried that thing everywhere. I recorded everything, trees, bees, people, cats, people’s ear and feet. In the early 80’s, I became part of the local lesbian community and began filming softball games, parties, friends hanging out and events. In 2001, my girlfriend, now wife, turned 50 and I made a compilation video to celebrate her birthday. At that time, editing equipment was expensive so I laid each photo down and video taped it for 10 seconds, hit record then pause for all the photos. Often I would hit the wrong button and have to start all over. Luckily just a few years later, video editors for computers were introduced and I was able to edit much more easily. Since then, I have probably made 60 such videos. This community was a wild weed garden of irrepressible life in motion. I took a lot of video and recorded the happiness of a blossoming lesbian community.”
These days she creates much shorter pieces. “I post to Facebook now, tracing our days and vacations with still photos and videos…less than one minute in length. Where my old videos, were a meal, these are just a taste but hopefully, they leave people hungry for more.”
Edited her tapes initially using two vcrs, and later, 20 years ago, using Video Studio by Corel.
Her collection includes unedited and edited tapes and records her love for the environment and her friends. She recorded all but two Gainesville Annual Lesbian Variety Shows; the videos she made with friends capture lesbian esprit and humor like almost none other; and her environmental videos capture a Florida that is rapidly disappearing.
