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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: FEBRUARY 25, 2015
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- MEDIA ALERT - MEDIA ALERT - MEDIA ALERT -
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WHAT
: 2015 True/False Film Fest
WHERE
: Downtown Columbia, MO
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TIME IS OF THE ESSENCE AT THE
2015 TRUE/FALSE FILM FEST
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The March March takes place on Friday, March 6 through Columbia's downtown streets.
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The countdown has begun. In just over a week's time, downtown Columbia, Missouri will be overrun with filmmakers, film fanatics, artists, musicians and everyone (and everything) in between. The cause of this tumultuous takeover? It's the twelfth installment of the world-renowned True/False Film Fest, slated for March 5-8.
In its relatively short existence, the festival's co-founders/ "co-conspirators," David Wilson and Paul Sturtz, have crafted a buzz-worthy, can't-miss event that keeps racking up accolades and praise. Last year, TIME magazine named it one of the top 50 cultural events to experience in 2014, IndieWire hailed it as "the most vital" film festival in America, and MovieMaker Magazine honored it as one of the "coolest" 25 film festivals in the world.
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The Busker's Last Stand is the crecendo of the closing night festivities.
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And here's why: This celebration of life and film consists of four action-packed days (and late nights) of excitement and intrigue revolving around some of the best documentaries in the world. Enjoying this festival is easy, because aside from the masterful films, the fest keeps attendees in a fervor with a handful of highly sought-after secret screenings of films, masquerade balls, concerts, a comedic game show, dance parties, art installations, a raucous ragtag parade and busking musicians from around the globe.
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Errol Morris answered audience questions via Skype after last year's showing of The Unkown Known.
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The 2015 film program consists of over 60 documentaries (roughly 46 features, five short film programs and an outdoor "shorts" exhibit titled The Great Wall). Many of the films come freshly discovered from the Sundance and/or Toronto film festivals, while others appear mysteriously before their official premieres elsewhere. Some of the standout titles for this year's well-curated program are Meru (which won the 2015 Audience Award for Best US Documentary at Sundance), Western, How to Change the World, Kurt Cobain: Montage of Heck, and Going Clear, just to name a few from the stellar list of must-sees.
What's more, every screening is designed to be an intimate interaction between the artists and the audience. All films are accompanied by the filmmakers and/or subjects, with an in-depth Q and A to follow, making it a personal experience for the auteurs and attendees alike.
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A photo still from Bitter Lake. Director Adam Curtis received the 2015 True Vision Award.
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The 2015 True Vision Award, the only award given at the fest, belongs to Adam Curtis, a longtime True/False participant whose most recent film, Bitter Lake, will be screening throughout the weekend. The True Vision Award is given to the filmmaker whose work shows a dedication to the creative advancement of the art of nonfiction filmmaking.
In many ways, True/False is more than just a film festival - it's also a vehicle for change. Organizers strive to give back to those who give so much to the documentary world, and the world as a whole. One such effort is the groundbreaking "Pay the Artists" program, a part of a larger effort to create a sustainable ecosystem for documentary filmmakers whose work rarely gets a wide theatrical run.
 There also is the True Life Fund, an annual collaborative outreach effort to raise funds to support and honor those in front of the camera. The 2015 True Life Fund recipient film is The Look of Silence, directed by Joshua Oppenheimer. The Look of Silence is the companion piece to the Oscar-nominated (and 2014 True/False film) The Act of Killing, a challenging investigation of the mid-'60s mass murders that took place in Indonesia. Also screening this year is a director's cut of The Act of Killing.
All festival events take place throughout downtown Columbia and the University of Missouri campus. Each location is within quick walking distance from one another, making this one of the easiest festivals to attend and enjoy.
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 ABOUT COLUMBIA
Columbia features a mix of small town charm and friendliness with the amenities and cultural offerings of a big city. There is always something exciting to see and do in Columbia, so for more information on ways to have fun in Columbia, please contact Megan McConachie at the Columbia Convention and Visitors Bureau at 800-652-0987 or at VisitColumbiaMO.com.
Attention Media: Let us play host and show you around Columbia. For more information, media assistance, high-resolution photography, or to schedule a press trip hosted by the Columbia CVB, please call The Beenders-Walker Group toll-free at 800-544-8474 or email Marjorie, Kyle or Jo.
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