Vox Magazine True/False 2019

Each spring, True/False lights up Columbia as film fanatics and newcomers converge to celebrate documentary filmmaking. Map your journey through the fest’s music, movies, art and memories.

Celtic Nights

Tuesday, March 5 | 7pm

Jesse Auditorium

BOX OFFICE 203 S 9th Street | Columbia 573-882-3781 www.concertseries.org

Shanghai Opera Symphony Orchestra

Tuesday, February 26 | 7pm

Jesse Auditorium

Show-Me Opera: The Magic Flute

Friday/Saturday, March 15 & 16 | 7pm

Missouri Theatre

Russian String Orchestra

Tuesday, March 19 | 7pm

Missouri Theatre

Plowman Chamber Finals

Sunday, March 24 | 1:30pm

Missouri Theatre

FORAY INTO FILM

If we’re being completely honest, my knowledge of documentary films is on par with my knowledge of brain surgery, thermodynamics or advanced calculus. If you want an expert take on what films to see at True/False this year, this isn’t it. Turn to page 24.

If you’re still here, you should know that I simply wasn’t exposed to documentary filmmaking as a high school or college student. I love — with a capital L — movies and TV shows, in large part because fictional worlds and characters and situations are an escape from our sometimes awful world. Most movies I watch, process for a few minutes and move on with my life.

But what brought me around to documentaries, other than ESPN’s “30 For 30” series is what also brought me to True/False for the first time last year: journalism. Yes, journalism physically moved me to Missouri, but the duality of journalism and documentary filmmaking is what brought me into the Missouri Theatre to watch Chloé Zhao’s The Rider last year. (It was excellent, by the way.)

Seeking truth and deepening our understanding of society are journalism’s most important tenets, and they also happen to be the basis for most doc-

umentaries. These films open our eyes — and minds — to people, places and topics we’d otherwise be ignorant to. The Rider, despite being a fictional account of fact-based events, tells us about the true perils of being a rodeo cowboy. As someone who spent a small portion of his childhood around rodeo, I left with a more profound understanding of the jarring dangers of rodeo life that my friends and family members who were involved in it never really talked about.

This year, films like Midnight Traveler (see our story page 34), which tells the story of an Afghan family on the run from the Taliban, expose us to the harsh realities that lie outside the confines of mid-Missouri. Much like journalism, documentaries provide accounts of corruption, greed, sadness, grief and loss. But they can also do what Won’t You Be My Neighbor? did a year ago — open our hearts. Each film is an opportunity to learn, and unlike the previous versions of myself, I’ll be taking advantage of that as often as I can at True/False this year.

This issue got its start on a snowy Monday in November when a Vox editor walked the four blocks to the True/False office to talk with coconspirator Paul Sturtz. The heater in the office was broken, so they sat in coats and gloves as they chatted about filmmakers, True/False and how the fest has grown alongside Columbia. In the three months since, we have brainstormed story ideas, interviewed filmmakers Dora Garcia, Miko Revereza and Melissa Haizlip, created the cover photograph with fishing line and Scotch tape, wrestled 20 films into the Doc Matrix and discussed the nature of truth and documentary. Discover the films, the fest and the creative people who make it all work.

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF KEEGAN POPE

DEPUTY EDITOR STEN SPINELLA

MANAGING EDITOR ELIZABETH ELKIN

DIGITAL MANAGING EDITOR MCKENNA BLAIR

ONLINE EDITOR LAUREN PUCKETT

CREATIVE DIRECTOR KELLYN NETTLES

ART DIRECTORS SHAOYANG CHEN, HOPE JOHNSON

PHOTO EDITOR JESSI DODGE

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ASSISTANT EDITORS

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EAT + DRINK KAELYN ADIX, MCKENNA BLAIR, JESSICA DUFFIELD, ABBEY PERANO

CITY LIFE JENNA GRUNDTNER, TEDDY HANS, NAT KAEMMERER, MADISON SKAHILL

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

ANTHONY ASHLEY, ISAAC CARMICHAEL, ALLISON CHO, SHANNON HENDERSON, ASHLEY JONES, MORGAN SPEARS, DANIELLE PYCIOR, JOE SIESS, ETHAN STEIN, SAVANNAH WALSH, TAYA WHITE DIGITAL EDITORS DRU BERRY, MARGARET DONOHUE, ASHLI ELLERMAN, BROOKE KNAPPENBERGER, EMILY HURLEY, NICOLE JIE YI FONG, CARY LITTLEJOHN, HANNAH MCFADDEN, LIBBY MOELLER, BIANCA RODRIGUEZ, RUNJIE WANG

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TRUE/FALSE SPECIAL ISSUE 2019 VOLUME 21, ISSUE 2

PUBLISHED BY THE COLUMBIA MISSOURIAN

320 LEE HILLS HALL COLUMBIA, MO 65211

MAGAZINE

Cover Photography by Antranik Tavitian

KEEGAN POPE Editor-in-Chief

“These films open our eyes — and minds — to people, places and topics we’d otherwise be ignorant to.”

With True/False comes a swell of music, a burst of color and myriad quirky personalities. Look back at some of the festival’s most mesmerizing moments from the past 16 years. 14

Photography by and courtesy of Joshua A. Bickel, Dora Garcia, Kristina Rolander, Bailey Valadez and Ben Walton

Growing together

The city of Columbia and True/False have built one of the most successful film festivals in North America over the last 16 years, in large part due to the symbiotic relationship they’ve both embraced.

BY SAVANNAH WALSH

Over its 15-year run, True/False has embedded itself into the culture and community of Columbia. Businesses and residents contribute sponsorships, donations and volunteer hours; in return, the festival boosts the city’s economic and cultural value.

Jeremy Brown, Ragtag Film Society’s executive director, sees the mutually beneficial nature of the relationship between Columbia and the festival. He says that True/False exists because of the city’s supportive community; the people and businesses like to rally around a cause that improves the quality of life for Columbia residents.

Supporting the fest

Thousands of volunteers, businesses and institutions in Columbia have followed Brown’s lead, contributing to a festival that creates an annual economic impact of millions. According to a 2018 study for the Columbia Convention and Visitors Bureau, which looked at money spent by attendees, that amount was $2.19 million.

In 2004, T/F started with three venues and sold 4,200 tickets. Fifteen years later, the fest sold more than 50,000 tickets for eight venues. It attracts outof-town visitors who stay in hotels and vacation rentals, eat and drink at local establishments and spend money in shops downtown.

True/False Managing Director Camellia Cosgray says the influx of people in downtown Columbia enriches the community-oriented aspect of the fest. “People are watching movies a lot, but they also want to spend a little time processing that,” Cosgray says. “So they wander around and stop at a restaurant or just stop at a store to shut off their brain a little bit, and I think that’s been really great for downtown. I think that is exactly what should happen.”

Local businesses are eager to partner with the fest because of its popularity, but many festival sponsorships run deeper than a logo on a website. Peter Hofherr, CEO at St. James Winery of St. James, Missouri, the exclusive wine sponsor of the festival, contributes in part because of his trips to the city to see films with his daughter. He also supports the fest’s values of sustainability and community involvement.

In response to the growing festival, the city quickly adapted. Hotels offered

discounts to festivalgoers. Transportation officials altered bus routes to stop at screening venues. Businesses in The District offered retail spaces for screenings and artist lounges through partnerships.

Barbie Banks, Ragtag Cinema director, says, “True/False was sort of the first one doing such a large-scale festival in town, and so I think the city kind of grew up and learned a lot from True/ False, and True/False learned a lot from the city on how to provide good services for it.”

Keepin’ it local

As True/False expands, emphasizing its local roots remains key. Stacey Woelfel, director of the Jonathan B. Murray Center for Documentary Journalism at MU, says True/False’s compact geography lends itself to a deeper integration between the city and the fest itself, an impossible task for renowned festivals in larger cities such as New York. The longest walk time between True/False venues is about 15 minutes. Brown says this ensures “a landscape where people are having shared experiences.”

He adds that filmmakers, artists and musicians are not withdrawn from their audiences during the celebration, which is essential to its collaborative nature. “We really encourage (the artists) to be out and about on the street, in coffee shops and bars so that the people attending the festival just run into them,”

Photography by Jessi Dodge and Ben Walton/Archive

True/False volunteers like Courtney Sommesi lend a helping hand by selling merchandise.

In 2018,11-yearold Wade Tucker ran a food stand outside of his mom’s downtown store, Poppy.

Brown says. “And they end up having a conversation about documentary film or installation art over a beer.”

Part of being a community-oriented festival is reaching out to those who might have never experienced True/False before. The fest works with Columbia’s Inclusive Excellence Organization to prioritize diversity in hiring staff and volunteers, as well as festival planning, which includes accessibility considerations.

The fest also helps grow the community by challenging Columbia natives and sponsors to think differently by bringing in film content and filmmakers with diverse perspectives. Dave Cover, the co-lead pastor at The Crossing church, a True/False sponsor, says that this has led to healthy intersectional conversations that wouldn’t have happened otherwise.

“What the festival has done, it’s made Columbia a more culturally aware city,” Cover says. “I would also like to think that it has made us less stuck in our echo chamber, whatever that echo chamber is.”

Lights, camera, podcast

With its eponymous podcast, T/F delves into what it really takes to make documentary films.

BY SHANNON WILSON

It’s no secret that True/False will provide a weekend jam-packed with creative experiences, from films to art installations to music. But, the fest experience transcends the one weekend with a hidden gem: the True/False podcast. The brainchild of KBIA staff and T/F co-conspirators David Wilson and Paul Sturtz, the podcast is designed to create a space where documentary watchers and creators come together.

First aired in February of 2017, the podcast’s goal is to continue the discussion of a film beyond its screening. Each episode features a conversation between a noteworthy filmmaker or film critic and a T/F curator. Although the

episode topics vary, each grants listeners a behind-the-scenes look at what truly goes into making a documentary.

KBIA news director Ryan Famuliner

has edited more than half the podcast’s episodes, and he describes them as being crafted for “makers and takers,” those who create documentary films and those

Photography by Jordan Kodner

Allison Coffelt is the education and outreach director for True/False. After being a part of the podcast’s creation process, she hosted and produced a number of episodes of the show.

who are avid watchers of them.

The podcast is less than two years old, but it has been on the minds of T/F festival staff for much longer, says Allison Coffelt, education and outreach director for True/False and host/producer for the podcast. She first brought up the idea to Sturtz and Wilson, who encouraged her to pursue it. After months of organizing and planning, she, Famuliner and KBIA health reporter Bram Sable-Smith made the podcast a reality.

The key element that makes the podcast a success is the collaboration between KBIA and True/False. The KBIA team joins its journalism and audio engineering skills with the festival’s connections to filmmakers and expertise on documentaries. The result is an innovative way to discuss a visualheavy medium through sound.

Nathan Lawrence, KBIA’s digital content director, says the show has become quite popular since its creation

two years ago; he says the podcast has thousands of listeners. “Podcasting has exploded into a business,” he says. Lawrence, who helps maintain the website for the podcast, says that he has noticed a fascination with the process of making a film and how a finished project is put together. This, in part, is what the podcast aims to reveal.

The team has taken on the specific challenge of discussing film through sound. By combining audio from past festivals with fresh discussions between their guests, True/False is able to garner excitement for the festival year-round.

Kim Hopkins, director of Voices of the Sea and a previous podcast guest, says the project is right up the team’s alley as T/F staff seek new ways to create content. “They’re very progressive,” says Hopkins. “They’re always looking for art that kind of pushes the envelope.” As an avid radio listener, Hopkins says the medium is ideal for content with depth that allows people to learn while also

LISTEN UP

The fourth season of the podcast is up and running, with a new episode each week. Catch it Thursdays on KBIA, or find it on podcasts.kbia.org and iTunes.

During T/F, stop by the podcast party to meet some of the people behind the show at 9 p.m. March 2 at Social Room

carrying on with their day.

New content is released during the festival season until about October, when production of the podcast stops so the creators can prepare for the upcoming fest. “We’ll talk about films the directors worked on, but you’ll want to listen to this whether you’ve watched the film or not,” Famuliner says. “We probably won’t spoil the film, but you also won’t feel lost if you haven’t seen the film.”

As the 2019 fest approaches, Coffelt says to listen to the episodes titled “Rough Cut,” which unpack the fest’s Rough Cut Retreat. “Every summer for the past few years, True/False has done a retreat with filmmakers who submit rough cuts of their films, and a couple of True/False programmers offer feedback,” Coffelt says of the twopart series.

But if you’re just tuning in to the podcast, start from the beginning: You’re guaranteed to be an informed festival attendee.

The unanswered question

Appreciating the ambiguity that persists in some True/False films will lead to a more challenging and fulfilling fest experience.

BY DANIEL CHRISTIAN

There’s a changing tide in public perception of documentary filmmaking. For evidence, look no further than RaMell Ross’ Hale County This Morning, This Evening which grabbed a 2019 Oscar nomination for best documentary. Past nominations tended to favor formulaic, issue-driven fare, like 2009’s Food Inc., that rarely challenged conventions of storytelling. Hale County is something else entirely. It’s an assortment of poetic moments, captured over the course of five years, that depict black life in rural Alabama while also reframing a county famous for its portrayal of impoverished white life during The Great Depression. There’s barely a sense of traditional structure; it’s mostly a collection of fleeting moments that help reclaim the narratives of black Southerners. Hale County itself is known as the dilapidated setting of

the photos and stories in James Agee and Walker Evans’ Let Us Now Praise Famous Men. Where that work depicted destitution, this film captures ephemeral glimpses of beauty.

Hale County played during 2018’s True/False with enthusiastic support from the local film community. That it has been vaulted into the national discussion is a victory for the kinds of films that True/False has long championed: boundary-pushing and idiosyncratic approaches to the complications of filming reality. It would be a crime to define such films in just a sentence or two because the festival’s offerings are so abundantly diverse.

As New York’s Museum of the Moving Image curator and freelance doc critic Eric Hynes emphasized in early February on Twitter: “Documentary isn’t a genre.” It encompasses all kinds

Daniel Christian is a master’s student studying documentary journalism at MU. He is also a fact-checker, proofreader and occasional contributer at Filmmaker Magazine.

What he’s seeing qthis weekend:

- The Grand Bizarre

- Chinese Portrait

- No data plan

- The Hottest August

- Chez Jolie Coiffure

of nonfiction work, including horror, experimental, romance and more. And at True/False, for every genre you might see, you’ll find an even wider variety of techniques shape reality into art or story.

Photo illustration by Shaoyang Chen and photography courtesy of Daniel Christian

But there’s an ethical dilemma at the heart of all creative nonfiction work and especially the films at T/F. To depict a real human life is an inherently reductive task. Robert Greene, an assistant professor at the Jonathan B. Murray Center for Documentary Journalism and a local filmmaker, is quick to make his students aware of the complicated nature of documenting someone’s life. His classes often grapple with fully embracing the subjective nature of experiences while still recognizing an absolute shared reality. It requires acknowledging that different perspectives breed different realities, which begs the question, “What is truth?” Greene loves to cite the idea of structure versus chaos — reality is unstructured chaos, but a film requires structure of some sort, and often, ambiguity helps quell a filmmakers urge to control the narrative. No matter how realistic it might seem, a film cannot truly mirror reality. This is essential to keep in mind while viewing nonfiction films at the fest or anywhere else.

At True/False, some of the world’s most challenging and exciting nonfiction films are made available for Columbia’s residents. Sure, there will be popular films like last year’s Won’t You Be My Neighbor?, but one of the best things about True/False is its programming of diverse and ambitious work that won’t again be readily available for mid-Missourians.

I suggest you gamble at least once with a smaller film. Cozy up in the Willy Wilson theater or pick something without palpable buzz. Seek out the recommendations of some of the most adventurous nonfiction critics and festival regulars such as Alissa Wilkinson, Nick Pinkerton and Vadim Rizov of Filmmaker Magazine. You might find that the risk leaves you confused, but you also might leave the theater intrigued or, better still, pleasantly lost.

Railway Sleepers, which showed at T/F two years ago, is emblematic of this sort of film. It largely takes place inside the confines of trains in Thailand and observes without commentary. It is a bit sleepy, though mesmeric, with no clear guide to interpreting except for a penultimate scene that provides some shape to

Hale County This Morning, This Evening (above), which played at the 2018 T/F Film Fest, was also nominated for an Oscar.

Dan Cogan and Bryan Fogel (below) after their film Icarus won best documentary at the 2018 Oscars. Although the work tells a gripping tale, it follows the traditions of storytelling.

the amorphous prior 90 minutes. This feeling of obscurity is key. What do we take away when we aren’t given the answers? Sometimes it’s better if we don’t have them at all, that we experience a sort of guided meditation where our thoughts are nudged in a specific direction but never acknowledged outright. Although these films function mainly as pieces of art, they still contain depictions of reality and are full of cultural insight. They ask work of the audience — to remain engaged and consider why the film might function in such a way.

Paul Schrader, director of First Reformed and writer of Taxi Driver, de -

scribes this experience as the filmmaker creating “a world which the spectator must contemplate or reject out of hand,” in his 2018 book. If we reject, then we dismiss the film entirely; if we accept, then we are forced to confront and think about it. Doing that will lead you down a rabbit hole well worth exploring. But if such ambiguity is not for you, True/False offers films that challenge in other, exciting ways, whether through provocation or other means. My advice: Seek out the difficult and audacious. True/False is one of the few chances for both these types of films to get exposure and for mid-Missouri audience to experience them.

Photo illustration by Shaoyang Chen/AP Images and photography courtesy of True/False Film Fest VOX MAGAZINE • FEBRUARY 21–MARCH

Newcomer proves she’s got ‘SOUL!’

Melissa Haizlip’s foray into documentaries highlights the first late-night talk show focused on the black community.

BY CAMERON R. FLATT

Adocumentary has the potential to fulfill a variety of goals: It can recount a historical moment, highlight a social movement, profile an important figure or tell a story close to the director. Melissa Haizlip has burst onto the scene with her first feature film, Mr. SOUL!, by tackling all of these goals at once. The premiere of the documentary at the 2018 Tribeca Film Festival also solidified her most recent job title: feature film director.

Before the big screen

Working behind a camera was not Haizlip’s original ambition. She attended Yale University as an art history major, but after graduating, she approached the entertainment industry from the performance side and started working her way through a variety of jobs.

Haizlip particularly loves unheard and underrepresented tales she says need an audience. For example, she produced the fiction short You’re Dead to Me, which tells the story of a Chicana mother who struggles to come to terms with her

deceased child’s transgender identity during Día de los Muertos.

In 2009, Haizlip founded her own independent film production company, Shoes In The Bed Productions, to create Mr. SOUL!. Co-directed by Samuel D. Pollard, the film chronicles the history of the television series SOUL!, described in the movie trailer as the first “black Tonight Show,” from its 1968 premiere as a local New York broadcast until its cancellation in 1973. Haizlip’s uncle, Ellis Haizlip, hosted the show, which featured some of the most prominent black figures of the ’60s and ’70s, such as James Baldwin, Stevie Wonder, Muhammad Ali and Sidney Poitier.

The documentary aims to track the immediate and long-term influence of the late-night show. Ellis Haizlip, as well as the show’s other creators, wanted to counteract the images of riots, poverty and pollution that are often associated with 1960s Harlem.

It was he who inspired the name for his niece’s production company. Melissa Haizlip recounts the story of how as a young boy, her uncle would amuse his hard-working aunt by tucking himself into bed while wearing his nice shoes. When his aunt asked him why he was doing this, he would reply, “Well, I might have to get up and go somewhere. I have to be ready to leave.”

Melissa Haizlip (above) showcases underrepresented stories with her work. Her documentary Mr. SOUL! celebrates the legacy of her uncle (below) and his latenight television series.

Haizlip thought her uncle’s actions mirrored the insurmountable odds of starting a company, “which everyone said would be very difficult to do, starting from scratch without any sort of backing or any type of experience in film production,” she says. “It struck me as a parallel because here he was doing something he wasn’t supposed to do, but he was doing [it] with love, kindness and making people laugh and entertaining people even though everyone thought it was wrong.”

The Haizlip family inheritance

Mr. SOUL!

A documentary that chronicles the history of the 1960s television series SOUL!

10:15 p.m. March 1, Showtime Theater @ The Blue Note

9:30 p.m. March 2, Missouri Theatre

9:45 a.m. March 3, Jesse Auditorium

Although Ellis Haizlip is her uncle, Melissa Haizlip doesn’t lead with this fact. She doesn’t want the familial connection to potentially detract from his story’s significance. “I used [his story] as inspiration, as I hope many will,” she says. “I think his story is unique and inspirational because he was kind of an unsung hero and ended up creating the greatest show you’ve never heard of.”

Ellis and Melissa aren’t the only Haizlips with a knack for storytelling and entertainment. Her mother is the nonfiction author Shirlee Taylor Haizlip, writer of The Sweeter the Juice It’s no wonder the artistic power of the documentary world attracted Haizlip’s talents.

Photography courtesy of Chester Higgins Jr. and George Newcomb VOX MAGAZINE • FEBRUARY 21–MARCH

A man, his camera and a train

When his undocumented status forced him to travel cross-country via train, Miko Revereza used the trip to shoot his first feature film.

BY CONNOR LAGORE

Miko Revereza saw them outside the Amtrak window. The border patrol agents were walking toward the train, and his DACA — Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals — papers were expired. “Oh, shit,” he thought. “This is real.” He had been through an immigration checkpoint before, he says, but this was completely different, especially at a time when an increasing number of undocumented immigrants are being arrested in the United States. It’s no wonder his mind went to one place as the agents boarded: “They’re going to get me.”

This moment of terror is the climax of Revereza’s documentary No data plan, which is showing at True/False Film Fest. The feature-length documentary tracks his journey from home in Los Angeles to grad school at Bard College in New York. It is also the 30-year-old’s second consecutive year screening a project at the festival; last year, he showcased his short film Disintegration 93-96, a reflective film essay on his background and his family’s relocation from Manila to the U.S.

Early start

Revereza was born in the Philippines in 1988 but moved to California with his parents in 1993. Growing up, he wasn’t acutely aware of his situation. He rarely heard his parents use the term “undocumented” and instead gathered clues from hearing about the family’s lawyer and the word “visa.”

His status became more apparent with time. “At certain points of coming of age as an adult in America, you kind of learn what your boundaries are,” he says, noting difficulties with milestones such as attending a four-year college after high school, since undocumented

immigrants are not eligible for federal loans. But he made do in his high school years when he dropped nearly all of his electives to focus primarily on photography classes and develop his artistic expression through experimentation.

“Why not just create whatever I want?” he says.

The desire to create would lead him to skip school to go to the University of California, Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive to see independent and experimental films. It was his entry point into developing his own film style, which is ever-changing. “It’s always in process,” he says, “and each film is a reaction to the last in a way that each film grows a bit further and challenges the last but also builds upon what was previously done.”

Most of these films develop simply because Revereza always has his camera to document whatever he finds interesting. Eventually, he has enough footage to compile into a cohesive product. His films are like a personal diary, which is why he usually keeps it a solitary practice and wears most of the production hats himself.

Fast film

That self-contained method of production is what allowed him to shoot footage for No data plan in three days during his train trip across the country. The final film wasn’t what he had in mind. In fact, there was no idea at all, really. “It’s just the circumstances that were in front of me, and I had nothing better to do,” he says. “I hope audiences can see ... that they can make films with very little means.”

He filmed at a different focal length than his usual style while on the trip, zooming in tight to give the film a more

For Miko Revereza (top), filmmaking is more practice than project, which is on display in his unplanned creation of No data plan (above). Revereza’s film isn’t about his undocumented status, but “being on the train.”

claustrophobic feel as opposed to his typical wide view, which he says was fresh to him. At some point on the train, he says, he realized the moments he’d captured — punctuated by his run-in with border security in Buffalo, New York — could be their own film.

Presently, Revereza’s DACA papers are active, but even still, he’s been conditioned to fear the sight of white SUVs carrying border patrol agents because at any moment, his fears could come true.

No data plan

Despite his background as an undocumented immigrant and that run-in with border patrol in the film, Revereza doesn’t see this as a documentary about immigration. “I don’t want it to be like, ‘This is an undocumented filmmaker trying to make a political point about immigration.’ This isn’t an issue documentary,” he says. “I want it to be seen not for its issues but for the mere existence of being on the train and observing the world and also the potential precarities of traveling across the geography of the United States.”

Photography courtesy of Miko Revereza

Follow the filmmaker across the country via train.

First feature, second time

Artist Dora Garcia explores the power of memory and the past in her first feature film.

BY SHANNON HENDERSON

As True/False Film Fest transforms downtown Columbia into a wonderland of documentaries, dozens of filmmakers from all across the globe bring their innovative projects to curious eyes. This year, Spanish artist and filmmaker Dora Garcia delivers her first feature-length film, Segunda Vez, to the True/False screen.

Although T/F is a documentary film festival, Segunda Vez is not a documentary, Garcia says. “It has elements of documentary, but it inhabits a space

Garcia (top) initially wanted to study sculpture, but she realized her love for design and directing, which led to her film Segunda Vez (above).

in between,” she says. Her experimental work, which had its world premiere at the Marseille International Film Festival in 2018, lives up to True/False’s mission of expanding the boundaries of nonfiction film and encouraging participants to reimagine reality. Garcia now uses film to tell important stories. but directing and documenting wasn’t always her plan.

to document the performances. As her work developed, the camera became less of a method of documenting the art and more of an instrument for creating it.

The Breathing Lesson , released in 2001, is Garcia’s first short film. The film conveys the power dynamics and violence that is implicit even in well-intended education or training. Combining stage performance and film while telling stories about people who go unheard is a theme in Garcia’s work.

In addition to her artwork, Garcia also writes books that provide the research and explanation for her projects, which often combine elements of visual art, interactive performance and crowdsourced blogs. Her work has been shown across Europe, including in 2011 at the Venice Biennale, a prestigious cultural organization, where Garcia represented her home country of Spain. Her exhibition included a project called “The Inadequate,” an extended presentation in which objects and actors portrayed groups on the fringe of society.

What came before

Exploring communication and psychological power drives much of Garcia’s work in film. She inspects history and society through moments frequently inspired by contemporary art and literature. The title of Segunda Vez comes from a short story written by Julio Cortázar in 1977 during the Dirty Wars, a political conflict in Argentina when between 10,000 to 30,000 people were killed by the dictatorship in power.

Segunda Vez The title means “second time around.”

1:30 p.m. March 1, Willy Wilson @ Ragtag

5:15 p.m. March 2, Forrest Theatre 5 p.m. March 3, The Globe

Setting the stage

Garcia studied fine arts at the University of Salamanca and at the Rijksakademie van beeldende kunsten in Amsterdam. Her initial interest was in sculpture, but she quickly turned to performance art despite her reluctance to perform herself. Instead, she designs scenes and directs them. Because these stagings rely on an audience, Garcia began filming as a way

Segunda Vez also analyzes and recreates the work of Oscar Masotta, a prominent artist, writer and psychoanalyst of the 1960s who conducted performance art that critiqued contemporary society. “The past does not go away,” Garcia says. In this film, “the past comes back but with a vengeance.”

Segunda Vez invites audiences to question the nature of memory and to map out these complex ideas for viewers to critique themselves. That links to Garcia’s belief that narratives are told by the ones who hold the power rather than those who need to be heard. But Garcia says, “art is about challenging narratives.”

Photography courtesy of Dora Garcia

MARCHING TOGETHER

These festivalgoers in the 2013 March March parade helped celebrate the festival’s 10th anniversary, which had an attending crowd that was 10 times larger than the first fest.

Take a visual trip through the history of True/False’s people, art, music and traditions.

Photography by ROXANA POP

ON A MUSICAL NOTE

The film festival’s inclusion of other art forms, such as busker bands, creates an eclectic and colorful environment. One such group, French street performers Les Trois, played during the 2014 Missouri Theatre

PAINT THE TOWN RED AND BLUE AND YELLOW AND...

As one of about 100 visual artists who helped reinvent the venues and public spaces of Columbia during True/False 2014, Ivy Lynch painted the back wall of the festival’s box office.

Photography by JULIA DIMAS

gala.

Photography by PARKER MILES BLOHM

EDUCATE AND ENTERTAIN

T/F is an all-ages event that consumes the town for a whole weekend. In 2016, Columbia Public Schools even worked the festival into its curriculum through field trips and media literacy education.

Photography by JOSHUA A. BICKEL

FROM THREE TO THRIVING

T/F began in 2003 with three theaters: The Blue Note, Missouri Theatre and Ragtag Cinema. The festival now features 11 venues across Columbia.

Photography by HAILEY HOFER

MARCH MARCH OF THE PUPPETS

Originally made for the 2014 March March and reappearing annually since, this giant puppet representation of T/F co-conspirator David Wilson is just a small part of the kickoff parade through downtown.

A HANDS-ON EXPERIENCE

True/False art installations are meant to capture visitors’ imaginations. In 2017, this piece drew an engaged audience of young True/False fans.

Photography by DAVIS WINBORNE

Photography by MADDIE DAVIS

Allison embraces the sadness in her music but pushes back against the negative connotation of “sad girl music.”

Buckle up for Soccer Mommy

Sophie Allison’s meteoric rise in the indie-rock scene proves she is talented beyond her years. Get to know these five songs before she pulls up to Columbia.

BY DRU BERRY

Life looks vastly different for True/ False Film Fest headliner Sophie Allison (known on stage as Soccer Mommy) than it did last year. After releasing her critically acclaimed debut studio album Clean in March 2018, she has toured with Paramore and Kacey Musgraves, made enough money to get her own place in Nashville and stopped living off McDonald’s.

Growing up in the country music capital of the U.S. had a small but significant effect on Allison’s music. “I think there’s this kind of Americana, folky, singer-songwritery vibe that can get in my songs,” she says. Her songs dive into the depths of sadness, communicating relatable messages about heartbreak, disappointment and finding yourself in your late teens and early 20s.

Vox spoke to Allison to find out what she’ll be playing at the fest, so whether you’re familiar with the 21-year-old, you better get ready to sing along.

“Last Girl” from Clean Allison compares herself to her current significant other’s “last girl” over a bright and bouncy mash of jangling guitars and upbeat drums. There are a lot of moving musical parts, but Allison’s clear voice rises above them to let her crushingly relatable lines shine.

“Still Clean” from Clean Allison, accompanied by a melancholy guitar riff, wades through this track about waiting for and missing someone who isn’t returning. The drowned-out vocals in the final chorus call back to Allison’s early releases on Bandcamp and “kind of takes you out of the moment a little bit but in a good way,” Allison says. “It was kind of a break of reality.”

“Try” from songs from my bedroom, reworked for 2017’s Collection “Try,” along with five other Bandcamp releases, was re-recorded for Allison’s

IF YOU GO

Catch Soccer Mommy at the True/False kickoff concert.

When: 8 p.m.

Feb. 28

Where: Cafe Berlin

Cost: $15 (free for certain passholders)

2017 album, Collection. This one details a chance romantic encounter. A groovy bass guitar perfectly mixes with some relaxed drums to transport you into this upbeat fantasy of what could have been from a passing moment. The songs on Collection are the first time Allison recorded in a home studio or with a band, which results in a more polished final product.

“Scorpio Rising” from Clean

Allison has said “Scorpio Rising” is the most personal track on Clean and one of her favorites to perform; it’s typically her set closer. Allison becomes distant during this moving song as she drifts through the end of a relationship.

“Your Dog” from Clean

This anthem about recognizing an abusive relationship and taking action is a fan favorite, setting its tone right from the start with the opening line: “I don’t wanna be your fucking dog.”

Photography courtesy of Soccer Mommy

MUSICALLY MINDED

Tap into the sonic side of the fest with these can’t-miss artists.

BY DRU BERRY

tristaño

Most of tristaño’s instrumentals are under two minutes and showcase a love for hip-hop and jazz.

Maxito Lindo

Columbia staple Maxito Lindo returns to True/False, kicking things off Wednesday night at Eastside Tavern.

When: 9 p.m. Feb. 28

Mesonjixx

Mary Lawson’s soothing voice reaches out from the colorful soundscape of her band, grabs ahold of your ears and never lets go. Listen at Rose Saturday Night.

When: 9:30 p.m. March 2

pinkcaravan!

pinkcaravan! and her effortless, playful raps are back again at the fest and at Berlin Saturday Night. Her infectious, whispering style and quotable lines will stick in your head all day.

When: 8 p.m. March 2

Lomelda

Lomelda’s lush voice pairs perfectly with standout guitar for a listening treat. Find her at the Sanctuary Showcase.

When: 7 p.m. March 2

Jon Bap

Jon Bap and his funky, experimental style will have you nodding along as soon as the strumming starts at Berlin Saturday Night.

Photography courtesy of True/False Film Fest

The 2019 Vox Doc Matrix

Need some guidance in what documentaries to see during True/False?

Programmer Chris Boeckmann helped Vox point you in the right direction.

BY SAVANNAH WALSH

Uplifting

THE GRAND BIZARRE: Packed into 60 minutes, this is “an utterly delightful work of animation” about the textile industry.

UP THE MOUNTAIN: Boeckmann heralds this film about the traditions behind the art in a small village as possibly the most beautiful film to watch on the big screen.

APOLLO 11: This 70mm footage of the Apollo 11 mission “operates like a thriller” as it tracks the endeavor from start to finish.

AMAZING GRACE: Built from never-beforeseen footage of Aretha Franklin performing her iconic concert album of the same name, “It is as uplifting as they come.”

Artsy

LANDLESS: Farmers in rural Brazil fight against a new regime.

HOME, SWEET HOME: Made over 35 years, this movie tells the story of Nao, whose life wasn’t supposed to last long, and the family that stands by her side.

THE GAME: Mystery abounds in a film that takes place in France’s forests. Audiences will be left perplexed.

LET IT BURN: A group of recovering addicts commandeer a hotel where they fall in love, talk about life,and struggle with past demons.

A WILD STREAM: True Vision Award recipient Nuria

Ibáñez Castañeda directs this movie about two men fishing on the Sea of Cortez that observes male vulnerability through an intimate lens.

THE HOTTEST AUGUST: This movie, filmed in New York during the titular month, captures the anxieties, hopes and fears of a community and, in turn, the world at large.

ISLAND OF THE HUNGRY GHOSTS: Director Gabrielle Brady explores themes of therapy and displacement for a group of detained immigrants on an Australian islands.

THE COMMONS: This film chronicles the divided discourse at the center of our society over a Confederate statue on UNCChapel Hill’s campus.

UNTITLED AMAZING JOHNATHAN DOCUMENTARY: What begins as a fairly typical biopic of a comedian and magician quickly becomes a surprising spotlight on documentary ethics in this Ben Berman-directed flick.

KNOCK DOWN THE HOUSE: Director Rachel Lears shows Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez before she became “AOC” and a group of other fresh female minds as they fight for political power.

MIKE WALLACE IS HERE: Where does the reporter end and the person begin? This movie about the 60 Minutes journalist attempts to answer that question in this biographical look at his life and career.

FINDING FRANCES: Boeckmann insists this is one of the best comedies he’s ever seen. Director Nathan Fielder helps a Bill Gates impersonator reunite with a love lost.

THE EDGE OF DEMOCRACY: A doc about the ways the personal can be political, the film gives a close-up look at unrest in Brazil.

OVER THE RAINBOW:

This film tracks active followers of Scientology in hopes of understanding the universal draw of religion.

REASON: Director Anand Pawardhan risks his own life in telling the story of Hindu nationalism’s rise in India. This nearly fourhour epic is a compelling and educational look at the topic.

Heavy

COLD CASE HAMMARSKJOLD: Boeckmann says this is a movie best experienced blind, for there are surprises to uncover in an investigation into a United Nations secretary-general’s death.

EVERY AMERICAN WASTES 290 POUNDS OF FOOD A YEAR

An array of art

Explore these art installations around downtown on the way to your next screening.

BY RUNJIE WANG

Come True/False, downtown Columbia transforms into a spectacular, art-covered landscape. This year, artists have risen to the challenge and crafted installations based on personal interpretations of the fest’s theme “Stranger <-> Host.”

Twenty-one pieces will be featured, encompassing a wide spectrum of art forms, from traditional spatial art to contemporary digital interactive media.

“We do our best to both build an environment filled with reminders to patrons that they are part of something special while also commissioning sub-

stantive works we are passionate about,” T/F Art Installations Director Duncan Bindbeutel says. “It’s always an exciting challenge to find a work we like, find the best place to display it, and the best means to support the artist.”

Returning artist Michael Marcum

says art installations not only enrich the cinematic experience but also add “a layer of depth and color.” This year, he will add a 14th handcrafted tree to his metal reforestation project. Inspired by the invasion of the Japanese beetle, he composed a close-up of a leaf, half-devoured and half-intact, with a beetle sitting on it. Appearing at the Tiger Hotel, this piece joins the variety of trees Marcum has already created.

Sometimes, along Cherry Street from 8 to 11 p.m., looking to the south, attendees can glimpse a mesmerizing projection on the wall of one of the largest buildings in The District, The Rise. Contributed by returning artists Jordan Doig and Stephanie Gould, the projection, entitled Recycles, “explores fantastically imagined interiors and hidden worlds beyond sight,” according to the fest’s website.

Other art installations encourage interaction from attendees and create opportunities for further reflection for

Tickets:

Photography courtesy of Maggy Rhein

The fest’s staff pick pieces, such as this handcrafted flower by Maggy Rhein, that make attendees feel like they are a part of something special.

to purchase

Directed

the viewer. Multimedia artist Sarah Nguyen’s Break Into Blossom is a visual translation of the story “Einstein Saves Hiroshima” from the book Pages from the Textbook of Alternate History by MU English professor and writer Phong Nguyen. The piece, located in The Picturehouse lobby, is a life-size dud bomb

Kristina Rolander’s jungle diorama and Sarah Nguyen’s bomb sculpture help make up T/F’s 21 art installations.

sculpture surrounded by budding paper cherry blossoms. Viewers can write their wishes on available petals.

“The hope is that visitors come away feeling thoughtful about the past, present and future and experience a bit of whiplash at the realization that we live in the reality we do and, just maybe, work

towards creating a better reality,” Sarah Nguyen says.

The art installations are where True/False springs out of the theater and onto the streets of the city. Bindbeutel says that the “art plays a pivotal role in changing the visual landscape of downtown Columbia.”

Photography courtesy of Sarah Nguyen and Kristina Rolander VOX MAGAZINE •

Fresh fuel for film fanatics

Looking for new eats? These six spots are within walking distance of the True/False downtown venues.

BY ISAAC CARMICHAEL

If you’re trying to sneak in a bite to eat between films, CoMo’s got you covered. Treat your tastebuds to something outside of your comfort zone with one of these additions to CoMo’s food scene.

Big Mama Chim’s Noodle House

905 Alley A

Local restauranteur Pramuan “Chim” Duncan offers what seems like magic on a plate to her patrons. If you blink while you’re walking through downtown, you might miss it, but it’s well worth seeking out for the pad thai, curry and potstickers — pretty much anything.

Don’t miss the noodles pork Tom Yum or potstickers // Pair with jasmine tea // Prices $3–13 per dish // Hours Sun.–Thurs. 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., Fri.–Sat. 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.

DrinKraft

300 N. Tenth St.

This North Village Arts District tea and coffee shop will act as True/False’s DIY Day location on March 1. While DIY Day’s high school attendees explore and learn through film, fashion, art and music workshops, they can sample DrinKraft’s signature kombucha, a sweetened fermented tea. Their flavors have a wide range, so step out of your comfort zone if you go.

Don’t miss blueberry sage kombucha or nitro coldbrewed coffee // Pair with pound cake // Prices $2.75 for small kombucha; $4.50 for large // Hours Mon.–Fri. 9:30 a.m. to 9 p.m., Saturday, 10:30 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Sunday, 10:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.

J-Petal & Poke

114 S. Ninth St.

This Japanese restaurant is a haven for the adventurous foodie. Try the signature shrimp and crab bowl, or customize your order with a build-yourown poke bowl. If you want something fun, order one of the lightbulb drinks — it’s exactly what it sounds like. Your

drink, served inside a lightbulb. Don’t miss the build-your-own bowl or matcha chocolate truffle crepe // Pair with Thai iced tea and lychee in a lightbulb // Prices $7–12 per bowl // Hours Sun.–Thurs. 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., Fri.–Sat., 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.

Le Bao

1009 Park Ave.

Local chef Jina Yoo’s latest venture provides a new twist combining classic Chinese cuisine and American comfort food. Yoo throws a curveball at tradition, offering dishes such as vegetable curry bao and Philly cheesesteak buns.

Don’t miss the fried chicken bun or seafood ramen // Pair with Seoul Taco Bing Bing shaved ice // Prices $4–5.50 per bao; $4–6 per bun; $10–12 per ramen bowl // Hours Mon.–Thurs. 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., Fri.–Sat., 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.

The Quarry

1201 E. Broadway

If you missed this place last fest when

it was brand new, give it a try this year. Southern Cajun food finds a midwestern home at The Quarry, which boasts fresh food made daily with locally sourced ingredients and Lousiana spices.

Don’t miss the shrimp po’boy or andouille // Pair with the Sazerac cocktail // Prices $7–17 per dish // Hours Mon.–Sat. 11 a.m. to 1 a.m., Sun., 10:30 a.m. to midnight.

Twain: Missouri Taproom

23 S. Eighth St.

This place serves only Missouri-made beers, liquors (whiskey featured prominently) and wines. So if you’re a local, or you just want to feel like one, this is the perfect spot to sip. As the place’s namesake says, “Too much good whiskey is barely enough.”

Don’t miss Double Reserve Dirty Money cocktail or local beer on tap // Pair with locally sourced charcuterie board // Prices $4–11 for drinks // Hours Mon.–Thurs. to 11 p.m.; Friday 3 p.m. to midnight; Saturday noon to midnight; Sunday noon to 10 p.m.

Photography by Bailey Valadez/Archive

Ramen-isce after a film screening with a bowl of ramen (above) at Le Bao.

ACROSS THE MAP

Where does True/False fit into the North American festival scene?

BY MATTHEW SWING

Since its 2003 inception, True/ False Film Fest has only grown in popularity, with attendance increasing by 25 percent annually. It remains smaller than many of North America’s other acclaimed movie jamborees, but what it lacks in size, it makes up for by screening some of the year’s most critically acclaimed documentaries, such as Oscar-nominated Of Fathers and Sons

Sundance Film Festival

Jan. 24–Feb. 3, Park City, Utah

Sundance was founded in 1985 and has become one of the most prestigious independent film festivals in the U.S. It has premiered hundreds of films such as Reservoir Dogs (1992) and Won’t You Be My Neighbor (2018).

Tribeca Film Festival

April 24–May 5, New York

Tribeca, established in 2001, prides itself on supporting up-and-coming filmmakers in both narrative and documentary categories. In 2018, the festival premiered Love, Gilda and the docuseries The Fourth Estate.

Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival

April 25–May 5, Toronto

Founded in 1993, Hot Docs is one of the largest documentary film festivals in North America. Each year, it screens over 200 nonfiction features including titles such as Bill Nye: Science Guy (2017) and McQueen (2018).

Toronto International Film Festival

Sept. 5–15, Toronto

Toronto International Film Festival was established in 1976 and is now where many directors opt to premiere their Oscar-hopeful films. Academy Award Best Picture nominees A Star Is Born and Roma were both screened at TIFF in 2018.

Need a hand?

Thousands look forward to the fest every year, but it would be impossible without volunteers.

BY JARED ANDREWS

True/False Film Fest is a massive undertaking that succeeds year after year — its ticket sales have grown by nearly 1,200 percent over the past 15 years. The majority of people who make it possible freely give their time, and it pays off for both the fest and those volunteers.

The festival spans nine venues and shows nearly 50 films. It requires a large labor force to keep the production afloat, and work begins months before the festival. Volunteer co-coordinator Cathy Gunther says there are about 850 volunteers who assume a variety of responsibilities, including constructing displays for various venues, directing filmmakers around screening locations,

selling merchandise, and cleaning up after the festival ends. “Volunteers do a huge amount of the on-the-ground work for the festival,” Gunther says.

Most volunteers typically commit at least 20 hours to the fest — but some go above and beyond. Those who spend 40 hours or more of their time are designated as a juggernaut volunteer.

The festival clearly benefits from the help it receives, but the volunteers also reap rewards for dedicating their time. In terms of tangible benefits, volunteers are given a T-shirt and a pass that allows them access to films during the fest for free. The pass also works when that year’s documentaries are shown at Ragtag Cinema throughout the rest of the year.

In terms of intangible rewards, volunteering allows people the opportunity to give back to the community. Mike Rowson, a 13-year volunteer, says he

More than 800 volunteers come together each year and have diverse tasks such as assembling art installations.

takes pleasure in simply offering his time to others. “I get a certain amount of satisfaction out of just doing something for someone else.”

Volunteers also offer their time because it fulfills an interest in living and breathing film, Gunther says, which gives them a way to peek behind the curtain and gain a better understanding

Photography by Kyle Perry/Archive

The North Village Arts District is an art, music, food, drinks and fun lovers paradise packed into beautifully renovated warehouses, shops and historical buildings in downtown Columbia, Missouri.

of film festival production. She adds that others believe volunteering at the festival grants them an opportunity to make personal connections and participate in a citywide effort. “A lot of people really love the fact that they’re doing something in their community,” Gunther says, referencing feedback from yearly surveys completed by volunteers. “They feel like they’re a part of something bigger than themselves.”

Former True/False volunteer and current employee Shelby Hart started volunteering after she didn’t get a job on the education team. She was still encouraged to volunteer, and after that experience, she applied for the assistant box office manager position. This is her first year as a True/False employee.

Gunther herself got involved with True/False after hearing positive feedback from friends who had been participating since the fest began. She wanted

Volunteers make sure that the thousands wandering the fest enjoy their experience, including those in the Q line.

to do useful work away from MU, where she teaches biology. “I want to be with people that don’t frequent the university all the time,” she says.

Whatever the reason for donating

their time, the volunteers’ diligent and tireless work makes True/False possible. And in return, True/False ensures they — and the festival’s attendees — are rewarded for it.

Photography by Rebecca Allen/Archive

Get your shirts together

Sure, True/False is about films. But its community atmosphere, including T-shirt designs, makes the festival what it is.

BY RUNJIE WANG

True/False Film Fest is known for its riveting and poignant documentaries, but the big screen isn’t the only place attendees can see art in practice. In addition to installations set up throughout the city, the festival incorporates designs by True/False enthusiasts on merchandise, specifically T-shirts. Artists submit designs that must capture the festival’s theme while adding a sense of originality.

“It’s really cool when you’re walking through an airport in London, and you see somebody wearing a True/ False T-shirt,” says Christina Kelley, the festival’s merchandise coordinator. Kelley and past designers Andi Fink and Christian Simms answer questions about the process of creating True/False merchandise.

Who designs the T-shirts?

Kelley says the design submissions are open to anyone, whether they are a professional graphic designer, an artist or someone with no back -

ground in either. Kelley estimates about 65 to 70 people submit designs, some of whom create and enter multiple options. This year, seven or eight designs will be adopted to appear on shirts and other True/False merchandise, Kelley says.

What are the benefits of having your design chosen?

The process is not meant to be a contest, Kelley says, but people who have their designs picked get to choose among two Simple passes, which give free admission to all films; one Lux pass, which allows a full film viewing experience as well as access to events and parties; and a merchandise credit. Creating products people love while also getting access to the films before the rest of the world with pass prizes is “a win-win,” says Fink, a graphic designer who has designed for True/False four times since 2013.

What role do designers play in the festival?

In addition to documenting the festival’s themes each year, the shirts and their designers help cultivate an atmosphere that appreciates art and its diversity, says

Andi Fink’s first T-shirt design (above) for T/F was in 2013, and she’s had three shirt designs selected since, including in 2017 (left).

Simms, who submitted designs for the third time this festival. Fink says its art sets True/False apart from other film festivals around the country and that it wouldn’t be the same without the artists and their collaboration with the community. Kelley adds that the shirts reflect the personality of the fest and the community while acting simultaneously as a marketing tool.

What happens to the shirts after the festival?

Any of the merchandise that is left over from the fest, Kelley says, goes onto the website for sale. It is also sold at pop-up events, such as film screenings or the True/False pop-up shop throughout the year. Additionally, during the fest, there’s a vintage merchandise area where attendees can buy leftover products from previous years.

STRIKING GOLD

The 2018 version of True/False Film Fest saw three films become massive success stories.

BY CAMERON R. FLATT

True/False is rarely the final stop for visiting documentaries and their filmmakers. They still have the rest of the festival circuit, a theatrical run and, of course, award season, where the occasional T/F film is lauded by mainstream critics. In fact, some films from last year’s fest raked in serious dough or have a chance at Oscars glory on Feb. 24.

Won’t You Be My Neighbor?

One of 2018’s most celebrated documentaries recounts the career of Fred Rogers and his genre-defining children’s program Mr. Roger’s Neighborhood. Directed by Oscar-winner Morgan Neville, Won’t You Be My Neighbor made more than $22 million at the U.S. box office.

Of Fathers and Sons

For Talal Derki’s second directorial feature, Of Fathers and Sons, he returned to his home country of Syria and documented the life of a radical Islamist family for two years. It garnered a Best Feature Documentary Oscar nomination.

Hale County This Morning, This Evening Director RaMell Ross’ first feature, Hale County This Morning, This Evening, is a sensational depiction of black life in the South. Like Derki, Ross also has a chance to take home the Oscar.

Naomi Sugino Lear

Won’t You Be My Neighbor? is the 12thhighest grossing documentary of all time.

Documenting their lives

This year’s True Life Fund recipient, Midnight Traveler, captures the horror of a family on the run.

BY CARY LITTLEJOHN

Artists pay a price for their work no matter the medium. Sometimes, the simple fact that their creations exist is repayment enough. But sometimes, what the work takes from the artists seems too much, and if there were cosmic justice, the effort would be repaid with something more.

Hassan Fazili, an Afghan documentary film director, paid that heavy price. Because of his 2015 documentary Peace, the Taliban killed the subject of the film and turned its sights on Fazili himself. He and his family, made up of his wife, who’s also a filmmaker, and two daughters, fled Afghanistan, and armed with camera phones, turned their journey

into a film. Out of the 300-plus hours of footage and 25 hours of voiceovers came Midnight Traveler, this year’s True/False True Life Fund selection.

The award allows viewers to “close the loop between what we see on screen and where we sit when we’re in the audience,” says Allison Coffelt, director of education and outreach for True/False and True Life Fund coordinator. “It’s a chance for the audience to donate to the subjects of a nonfiction film.”

Midnight Traveler, a film that tracks the family’s journey fleeing the Taliban, sings with emotional resonance, but it’s also a feat of filmmaking. The entire movie is shot from the family’s various phone cameras, but Stacey Woelfel, director of the Jonathan B. Murray Center for Documentary Journalism at MU, says it takes nothing away from the film. “When you hear it’s on cellphones, it

Hassan Fazili’s film, Midnight Traveler, was selected as this year’s True/ False Film Fest True Life Fund recipient. The fund gives audiences an opportunity to donate to the subjects of a nonfiction film.

makes it sound like it will be low-tech and not that good, but it’s as cinematic as anything you would do with a much more impressive camera.”

Emelie Mahdavian, the producer, writer and editor of the film, helped craft the raw material into a compelling narrative. “It was quite a process to collect

Photography courtesy of True/False Film Fest

(the mobile phone footage) and organize it,” Mahdavian says. “I had to find people to meet them in every country and take the footage and send it to me. Then the footage would come to me totally disorganized.”

Mahdavian also serves as Fazili’s translator. Via email, she translated his appreciation: “I am really happy that our film is in the festival and receiving the True Life Award,” Fazili writes. “Thank you to the community for working to help us and improve our lives.”

Fazili is correct; the fund, sponsored by The Crossing, a local church in Columbia, is a community effort. Coffelt says funding comes from a variety of sources: private gifts and donations; “passing the hat” at screenings during the festival; and a grant from the Bertha Foundation, a New York City-based organization dedicated to supporting those trying to bring about social justice.

Rebecca Lichtenfeld, director of the social impact media portfolio at the Bertha Foundation, says the foundation

supports activists, storytellers and lawyers. “There aren’t many awards like this that are for the people that are in the films that are putting themselves out on the line by telling their stories this way.” She also says she loves the collaboration between the fund and The Crossing.

Dave Cover, co-lead pastor and one of the founders of The Crossing, agrees. He says the church has always tried to help the community’s connection with art and culture. He determined that a documentary film festival was a match made in heaven.

Photography courtesy of True/False Film Fest

Fazili’s children even helped out with shooting Midnight Traveler, filmed entirely on cellphones.

4,000 films later

BY GRACE LETT

avid Wilson’s impressive career has carried him far — both in Columbia and beyond. For one, he helped establish Ragtag Cinema in 2000. He has worked on several documentaries, including the Branson-focused We Always Lie to Strangers, which debuted at South by Southwest in 2013. Wilson also co-founded True/False Film Fest and worked as co-conspirator and programmer alongside Paul Sturtz for 15 years. Then, last spring, he decided to focus more on the other enterprises in Vox sat down with Wilson to chat about that choice and what else he’s been up to.

What was behind your decision to

Primarily, I had projects, plural, but specifically one project, which is a feature film that I was working on and wanted to spend more time on. I just felt like I couldn’t really do it justice with the amount of work I was still doing at True/ False. I think that coupled with, I mean, I’ve been programming documentaries for True/False for 15 years. So, even by a conservative estimate, I’ve probably watched 4,000 docs.

That’s a lot.

Yeah, and I’m a little burnt out on programming. I just found myself not going at it with the same level of enthusiasm. It’s really hard because I really love the fest, and I still feel very connected to it. But it seemed like the timing was good to take a year away and kind of see where things stood, work on these projects and then figure out if and how I would come back. Technically, I’m consulting for the festival; they’re using me however they see fit. Some of that is artistic direction, management/leadership advice, development and sponsorship work. Separate from

that, because really it’s its own project, is this thing called the Alethea Project, where we’re taking True/False films from years past and doing screenings around the country in large, Evangelical Christian churches.

What is your film about?

Actually, it’s a fiction feature, and it’s a teen thriller about surveillance culture. I’m writing it right now, and hopefully I will be able to shoot it in 2019 or 2020. One of the big things the film is tackling is about how our ideas on privacy are changing and, I think, are already dramatically different between baby boomers, Gen X and millennials and what’s coming after millennials. I’m really interested in that shift in terrain and the kind of ripples that will have for a lot of aspects of culture.

That’s an interesting shift. Do you want to focus more on fiction filmmaking?

I hope. True/False has always been a supporter of films and filmmakers that kind of cross back and forth. Maybe that’s part of a new way of thinking about documentary filmmaking which is that it’s not quite so segregated. Filmmakers go back and forth between fiction and nonfiction based on the best way to tell their story. If I’m lucky, I would love to be a filmmaker who gets to make more films. Some films are fiction; some are nonfiction. I don’t think either is more important or better; they’re just different ways of storytelling.

Do you think you’ll ever come back to True/False in the same role?

I don’t know. I feel fairly certain that I will continue to play some role in True/ False. What’s most important to me is that the organization is sustainable, succeeds, and lives long past its founders. And so whatever role I can play to make all of that happen, that’s what I want to do.

Photography by Shauna Yates

T/F co-founder David Wilson talks about stepping back from the fest to dive into the world of fiction filmmaking.

David Wilson, one of True/ False’s co-conspirators, shifted focus this year onto other parts of his career, including his first fiction film.

TO-DO LIST

Your curated guide of what to do in Columbia for the next two weeks.

ARTS

Celtic Nights: Oceans of Hope

A combination of music, song and dance, Celtic Nights: Oceans of Hope showcases Irish culture. The show celebrates history while also highlighting struggles faced in the pursuit of freedom, respect and family. March 5, 7 p.m., Jesse Auditorium, $20–40; discounts for children, 882-3781

Machinal

Sophie Treadwell wrote a powerful expressionist drama based on the 1928 conviction of Ruth Snyder, found guilty of murdering her husband. The show aims to display the societal expectations women felt during the 1920s. Feb. 21–23, 7:30 p.m.; Feb. 24, 2 p.m., Warehouse Theatre, 8; $6, students and seniors, 876-7199

Strange New Worlds: The Fifth Year

This marks the fifth winter of Strange New Worlds presenting an array of new creations. Whether it be art, music, poetry, plays, musicals, short films or meditations, this collective debuts original work produced by local people. Feb. 22 and 23, 7:30 p.m., Talking Horse Productions, $15, 607-1740

The Every 28 Hours Plays

A national performance project, The Every 28 Hours Plays is inspired by the statistic that every 28 hours a black person is killed in the U.S. by police or vigilantes. The performance is a collection of short plays with a post-production discussion. Feb. 20–23, 7:30 p.m.; Feb. 24, 2 p.m., Rhynsburger Theatre, $16, 882-7529

Composition Workshop with Carmen Kynard

MU’s English department welcomes Carmen Kynard to present Came Thru Drippin’: Intersectional Justice and Critically Raced Classrooms in the Movement for Black Lives. Kynard will discuss hashtags connected to social

movements and how they frame this time for young writers, particularly students of color who are reshaping classrooms for the future. Feb 22, 4 p.m., Tate 102, Free, 882-6421

CIVIC

Women’s Month Movie Night

Who runs the world? Girls! Celebrate Women’s Appreciation Month by watching and discussing the film Hidden Figures, the story of three black women who made history as NASA mathematicians in the 1960s. March

6, 6:30 p.m., Armory Sports Center, 817-5077

Schiffman Ethics in Society

Lecture: Ron Stallworth

Ron Stallworth returns to Columbia College to dicuss his memorir, which was the basis for Spike Lee’s 2018 Oscarnominated BlacKkKlansman March

6, 7:30–9 p.m., Columbia College’s Launer Auditorium, Free, 875-8700

FOOD

CBC Presents: Girl Scout Cookies and Beer

Columbia Beer Cellar’s annual Girl Scout

Cookies and beer pairing event returns with all the sweet and bitter combos imaginable. Tastings will be available Friday and Saturday until the cookies and beer are gone. Feb. 22-23, 6 p.m., Craft Beer Cellar, 449-0242

Yoga & Mimosas

Lucky’s Market and Sumits Hot Yoga team up to form a new monthly event featuring a donation-based yoga class, followed by a $5 pop-up mimosa bar. Everyone is welcome, from the most experienced to beginner yogis. Feb. 24, 11 a.m. to noon, Lucky’s Market, donations appreciated, 474-9642

Plants on the Plate

The Culinary Nutrition Series is a cooking class where anyone can learn how to cook some healthy recipes. This session will focus on a variety of vegetable recipes that can help with nutritional needs. The highlight of the night will be eating the meal at the end. Feb. 26, 5–8 p.m., Culinary Development Kitchen (Sabai), Free, 882-3663

Brewery Night Live

The first edition of the Brewery Night Live Series will include an abundance of beer, food and performances by Toughies, It’s Me: Ross and the Como

DON’T MISS IT

Co-owners of Nourish Cafe & Market Kalle

LeMone and Kimber Dean are all about natural wellness, and they want to share their tips and tricks with you. Learn how to keep chemicals and other harmful elements out of your body. Feb. 26, 6–7 p.m., Nourish Cafe & Market, $20, kalle@ cafemarket.com

Aerial Arts. Beer tickets must be purchased instead of bar tabs. Feb. 22, 5 p.m. to midnight, Bur Oak Brewing Company, $5, 814-2178

MUSIC

Unplugged at Ophelia’s Violet & the Undercurrents will perform an intimate acoustic set while surrounded entirely by flowers. The event will be one in a series of shows that will build up to the group’s album release in March. Feb. 23, 8:30–11:30 p.m., Ophelia’s Flowers, $10, 777-8788

Dierks Bentley

Self-proclaimed “Burning Man,” Dierks Bentley is making his way to CoMo. With the help of opening act Jon Pardi, he’s set to give audiences a taste of Nashville sound. Feb. 23, 7 p.m., Mizzou Arena, $31.75 and up, 882-6501

Boosie Badazz

Take a trip back to the early 2000s by heading to The Blue Note to see rapper Boosie Badazz (formerly Lil Boosie and often simply referred to as Boosie). You’ll see not one, not two, not three,

Photography by Julia Hansen VOX

but four opening acts. Feb. 24, 8 p.m., The Blue Note, $41-51 general; $100, meet and greet, 874-1944

Shanghai Opera Symphony Orchestra

If you see roughly 40 people in formal attire meandering around Francis Quadrangle in February, they might be the Shanghai Opera Symphony Orchestra members. The symphony often plays music by well-known Chinese composers. Feb. 26, 7 p.m., Jesse Hall, $28-38; $18 children, 882-3781

Elvis Depressedly

Somebody call Priscilla, because Elvis is comin’ to town. Well, kind of. The North Carolina native Elvis Depressedly is bringing his sultry shoegaze for what is sure to be a great-but-probably-notuplifting show March 3, 7:30 p.m., Rose Music Hall, $10 in advance; $12 day of, 874-1944

SPORTS

Mizzou Baseball vs. Alabama A&M

The first home game of the season is upon us. Support Mizzou’s baseball team while it battles the Bulldogs. Feb. 26, 4 p.m., Taylor Stadium, $2, 884-7297

Mizzou Men’s and Women’s Swimming and Diving Mizzou NCAA Qualifier

Come out to see both the men’s and women’s teams in the Mizzou NCAA Qualifier. This intense two-day event showcases the pool’s most impressive athletes. March 2 and 3, TBD, Mizzou Aquatic Center, Free, 884-7297

Mizzou Women’s Basketball vs. Alabama

The women’s basketball team squares off with the Tide in its last game before SEC Tournament play. March 3, 2 p.m., Mizzou Arena, $8, adults; $5, children/senior, 884-7297

Mizzou Men’s Basketball vs. South Carolina

Missouri looks to avenge their Jan. 13 loss to the Gamecocks in the second to last home game of the season. March 2, 2:30 p.m., Mizzou Arena, $40-60, 884-7297

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“Four days tailor-made for film lovers, festival lovers, documentary lovers, and anyone who likes to have a grand old time.”

- Matt Holtzman, The Document, KCRW