Screen Gem
Columbia’s True/False Film Festival Returns For Its Seventh Year
By Jonathan W. Crowell
“Over the past few years, True/False has come to occupy an unshakable place in the hearts of many of us who make documentaries. Few festivals are guided by truer motives and none are organized by a team of people more deeply committed to documentaries.” — Eugene Jarecki, director of “Why We Fight”
Six years ago, Columbia was introduced to what would become a yearly film tradition and for the growing legion of fans of the True/False Film Festival, the annual documentary blitz is a habit they never want to break.
Festival co-founders and organizers David Wilson and Paul Sturtz (who also helped found downtown’s Ragtag Cinema) originally created True/False out of their own personal interests in nonfiction films, and the film showcase has been growing exponentially ever since. The festival itself has come to be known as a venue for lively documentary films that break tradition with their creative and intellectual storytelling, attracting film contributors and directors from around the world.
True/False’s growth and quality helped this year’s festival, Feb. 25–28, earn a $20,000 grant from the Academy Foundation of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Conservative projected attendance is up by 2,000 from last year’s, which topped 23,000 (compared to the first year’s attendance of 4,200).
Virtually all the features and favorite events that have made the festival so popular to begin with will be back again, along with some new surprises. All this combined with the community’s enthusiastic and undying support should make True/False 2010 arguably the best film festival yet. It’s all very fitting for an unpretentious Midwestern city that has earned recognition as Missouri’s most “creative community” by the Missouri Arts Council.
Wait For It …
Busy with festival preparations, co-founder Wilson exudes enthusiasm for the upcoming event.
“We’re very excited for this year’s festival,” Wilson says. “There’s always a momentum created through the creation process and production of each year’s festival that carries us through. It’s always heartening to see our attendance and support grow from year to year.
As in the past, this year’s T/F will feature films out of Sundance, Cannes, Toronto and other film festivals, as well as films submitted by local filmmakers. Most contributors are expected to attend and will answer questions, talk about their work and interact with the audiences. Some True/False 2010 submissions will appear here in Columbia before their official premieres elsewhere.
Things are always on the march in terms of accessibility and tradition Wilson says, and this year’s T/F is no exception.
“We are working to make this year’s festival more personalized and interactive,” he says, referring to the associated events and contributor involvement.
More international film submissions can be expected this year compared with past True/False Film Festivals, and audiences can expect to return to familiar venues, along with the addition of Firestone Baars Chapel at Stephens College as a screening venue.
“The festival has always come together because of the great support of our community, and it’s always been a positive reflection of what we like to call ‘the heart of Columbia,‘ ” Wilson says.
Festival co-founder Sturtz shares a similar exuberance for this year’s event.
“It gets smoother and smoother each year,” Sturtz says. “We’ve already started selling passes. We expect to sell out this year, and we’re very excited about the festival’s return.”
Despite expectations, Sturtz wants to be clear that those who want to attend will still be able to.
“Tickets and opportunities to attend screenings will still be accessible to the public through the main box office,” he says.
The Festival Is In The Details
Festival Production Manager Justin Arft is working on his own to-do list, with everything from equipment implementation to venue design. One new feature of this year’s festival is high-definition projection for all screenings, a common feature in most other major film festivals, and one that this year’s True/False directors are particularly pleased to offer.
“Things are at a fever pitch, preparationwise, but things appear as normal as always this close to the festival,” Arft says. “We’re bringing back most of the same events and venues as we’ve had in the past, but with new parameters.”
Conceptualization and other preparation work for the each year’s festival typically begins early the previous autumn; efforts shift into high gear after the first of the year, Arft says.
“We always run into new challenges every time around, but it’s a good learning curve for us,” Arft says. “We’ve formed great relationships with various community members along the way who always have an interest in what we’re doing and are eager to offer whatever they can to make it all happen. We’ve found great matches with people in this community.”
And certainly none of it would happen without that community support.
“People involved with the festival really ‘get it,‘ and that’s what’s contributed to our success in the past,” Arft says. “From festival volunteers to those who buy passes to others with venues like Stephens College and Café Berlin this year who are more than willing to work with us, we’ve always been fortunate to have Columbia backing us up.”
The effort that goes into each year’s preparations never goes unnoticed by directors and other festival attendees each year, either.
“Directors who come from other festivals are always blown away by the level of community support that goes into True/False each year,” Arft says. “They often come to Columbia thinking ‘What have I gotten myself into?‘ and end up leaving extremely impressed. I think that says quite a bit about our community — it’s great to get to harness and work with Columbia’s energy each year.”
Listen to the Music
No film would be complete without its own soundtrack and the T/F Film Festival follows suit by featuring live music at each screening, as well as nightly music showcases throughout the course of the weekend. Performing musicians come from around the United States and also from other countries.
According to True/False Music Director Kim Sherman, a five-year veteran of the T/F music show, the organization of live performances this year has been easier than ever.
“It’s been really great this year, and it gets easier each time around,” Sherman says. “We always look for a high caliber of musicians, and it’s become a truly established music program. True/False is not really a music festival, but it’s come to feel like one.”
While performances are still being finalized, watch for Chicago-based act Spires That In The Sunset Rise (experimental), and the Portland, Maine-based trio The Toughcats (bluegrass/rock), a group that has become a festival favorite, Sherman says.
“Usually the music we feature has more of a folk/Americana flavor, but we’ve expanded the horizons a bit this year,” Sherman says. “There’s going to be a little bit of everything.”
Film Fest Faves
Some festival highlights to watch for …
SWAMI Program: SWAMI launched in 2007 to help new nonfiction filmmakers navigate the unpredictable terrain of the documentary film world. Through meetings with seasoned and knowledgeable industry pros, first-time filmmakers get unvarnished advice on everything that happens after they finish their final cut.
Gimme Truth! Fact or fiction? It will be up to the Gimme Truth! audiences to decide whether Missouri filmmakers have created a profile of a Missourian that is 100 percent true or 100 percent false.
True Life Fund: The True Life Fund, started in 2007, offers tangible assistance to the real-life subjects of a featured film. The fund is an acknowledgment that documentary filmmakers and festivals thrive because of the stories given to us by people who are often of little means.
The True/False Film Festival True Vision Award: Only one award goes annually to the filmmaker or filmmakers whose work shows a dedication to the creative advancement of the art of nonfiction filmmaking. Each winner receives an original bronze sculpture, created by nationally known Columbia artist Larry Young.
Breakfast Screening (new this year!): Special breakfast screening at the Odd Fellows Temple, Ninth and Walnut streets. It’s an opportunity for Columbians to hang out in a building they’ve probably never been in.
Walking Tour (new this year!): Downtown walking tour with actor, speaker and tour guide Timothy “Speed” Levitch
Soundtracks
All screenings will feature coordinated live music, according to festival organizers. Don’t miss these specific festival-related music events. Set-up and take-down needs to be quick for the prescreening live performances, but these showcases allow a bit more time and care, and performers can play complete sets, says festival Music Director Kim Sherman.
Performances and artists are still in the scheduling process, but the festival’s Web site contains up-to-date information.
Thursday evening, Feb. 25
Café Berlin
220 N. 10th St.
A music showcase for many of the acts that will be performing live music before festival film screenings
Eastside Tavern
1016 E. Broadway
A music showcase featuring experimental/multimedia acts
Friday evening, Feb. 26
Café Berlin
220 N. 10th St.
More performances by festival pre-screening bands
“Action”
(location TBA)
A private party for festival pass holders, featuring a group of DJs from Washington, D.C., known as Hot Commodities
Saturday evening, Feb. 27
Mojo’s
1013 Park Ave.
Music showcase — Columbia favorite Mahjong is confirmed for a performance with its unique blend of house/electronica (full list of acts is still being finalized)
Sunday evening, Feb. 28
Missouri Theatre Center for the Arts
203 S. Ninth St.
After the festival’s final film screening, musicians performing throughout the weekend will perform live in the lobby of the Missouri Theatre.
Sneak Peeks
A couple of films to watch for this year:
“The Oath”
(Director/Producer Laura Poitras)
Premiering first at this year’s Sundance Film Festival, “The Oath” is the second installment in an ongoing trilogy that includes U.S. director Poitras’ previous film, “My Country, My Country” (2006), which was nominated for an Academy Award, Independent Spirit Award and Emmy Award. The film deals with the story of two brothers-in-law, Abu Jandal and Salim Hamdan, whose associations with al-Qaida in the 1990s sent them on different courses. Jandal and Hamdan came to serve as Osama bin Laden’s bodyguard and driver, respectively. Hamdan’s trial was the first of the Guantanamo Bay prison cases to be tried, and the film gives perspective on modern global politics from the two non-Westerners’ points of view.
“Last Train Home”_
(Director Lixin Fan)
“Last Train Home” by Chinese-Canadian director Lixin Fan is also showing at this year’s Sundance Film Festival. It won the Best Feature award at the International Documentary Festival Amsterdam, the Best Documentary award at the Whistler Film Festival, and the Best Canadian Film award at the Rencontres International de Documentaire. The film is about the trying journey undertaken each year by migrant Chinese workers returning to their family homes in remote and impoverished rural villages. It is a very personal portrait that draws viewers into the fractured lives of a single migrant family caught up in this desperate annual migration.
For information on tickets, festival schedules, volunteering, events and updates, visit www.truefalse.org.