The True/False Film Festival is back to take over Columbia, Missouri and showcase some of the most exciting and boundary-pushing nonfiction films from all over the world. The fest will celebrate its 23rd year with films, music, events, art installations, and more from March 5-8.
The theme for this year’s fest is “You Are Here,” which came from 2026 visiting artistic director Yance Ford. Programmer Amada Torruella notes that this theme manifests throughout this year’s films in the way they showcase interconnectedness and create a sense of place, as well as the way they gesture toward the challenges the filmmaker faced in bringing these stories to the screen. “Something that I was really grateful for was how intentional Yance was with the theme,” Torruella says. “At True/False there has always been a lot of intention and care curatorially to talk about placemaking in film and allow for more communities to define place, or their place in the world.”
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In terms of what’s new this year, there are two venues making their return to the fest: The Picturehouse, which is housed inside the Missouri United Methodist Church on Ninth Street, and Windsor Auditorium, located on the Stephens College campus, which Torruella notes has not been part of the lineup for many years.
This year’s fest was programmed by Ford and Torruella, as well as fellow programmer Bedatri D. Choudhury and programming associate and coordinator Benjamin Zweig. The programming slate includes 36 new feature films and 25 new short films, including 10 world premieres, plus two repertory feature films. “It’s always exciting when filmmakers trust us with their work, especially at such a special and vulnerable place for the project,” Torruella says. “So, it’s an honor to be able to host 10 world premieres this year.”
The fest will also continue to use its redesigned pass structure. This includes the Center pass, which offers reserved tickets for films, parties, and music showcases throughout the weekend; the Spring pass, which offers reservations for films and the @ction party; and the Classic pass, which offers the ability to reserve tickets for 10 films. All three also offer free admission to any film via the Q system, on a space-available basis.
The Films
How to Clean a House in Ten Easy Steps: This world premiere debut feature from director Carolina Gonzalez Valencia centers on Beatriz, the director’s mother, who left Colombia to work in the United States as her family’s sole financial provider. It examines the sacrifices families make to survive amid displacement and financial instability. As this year’s True Life Fund recipient, the film offers a life-affirming look at the way people find joy through community and art-making.
Nuisance Bear: Fresh off premiering at the Sundance Film Festival and winning the Grand Jury Prize Documentary, directors Gabriela Osio Vanden and Jack Weisman’s Nuisance Bear is making its next stop at True/False. Based on the short of the same name, which played T/F in 2022, the film focuses on Churchill, Manitoba, and the tourism industry that has sprung up around the polar bears that live nearby as their habitat continues to deteriorate amid climate change.
Pinball: Another world premiere debut feature film, director Naveen Chaubal’s Pinball is a coming-of-age story that focuses on Yosef, a 19-year-old athlete who becomes more aware of his family’s history—they fled Iraq in the early 2000s, eventually settling in Louisville, Kentucky. Torruella wanted to highlight this film because it offers a particularly moving migrant perspective, while also capturing the perspective of youth at a time when they’re trying to understand the world better.
Remake: Director Ross McElwee is this year’s recipient of the True Vision Award, and his latest film, Remake, will have its North American premiere at True/False. The film sees McElwee put together decades of footage in the wake of his son’s death, while also fielding a remake of his film Sherman’s March, which Torruella notes has gained a cult following since its release four decades ago. In addition to Remake, True/False will also screen McElwee’s Sherman’s March and Ed Pincus’ Diaries: 1971-1976 as the repertory offerings for the True Vision Award.
To Hold a Mountain: Set in Montenegro’s remote highlands, To Hold a Mountain sees directors Biljana Tutorov and Petar Glomazić follow a mother and daughter as they reckon with their sacred ancestral homeland being invaded and turned into a NATO training ground. To Hold a Mountain was particularly exciting to Torruella because of its beautiful cinematography, majestic landscapes, and sense of place. It was also part of True/False and the Catapult Film Fund’s 2024 Rough Cut Retreat, which helps support filmmakers with ambitious, idiosyncratic approaches to nonfiction cinema.
Tropical Park: Shot in a single take, this experimental film from director Hansel Porras Garcia follows two siblings who reunite after spending 20 years apart, and go to a Miami park for driving lessons. Over the course of the afternoon, the pair dig into conversations about politics, gender identity, religion, relationships, family, and loss. Torruella highlighted this particularly for its vulnerability, as well as its bold formal and stylistic approaches.
The Music
bbymutha: Experimental and clever, with a DIY ethos, Chattanooga rapper bbymutha, AKA Brittnee Moore, has been entertaining audiences since 2014 with her refreshing take on Southern rap. Bbymutha will be performing at the fest as part of the Kimball Ballroom Saturday Night Showcase, alongside lo-fi indie rocker Winston Hightower, No Wave luminary Jane Wave, the trance and hip-hop stylings of Eric Dontè, and house/footwork duo CASH TOO.
Bridget St. John: Singer-songwriter Bridget St. John has been making music since the late 1960s, coming up as part of the British folk scene. While St. John drew back from making mainstream music for nearly two decades following her 1974 album, Jumblequeen, she grew a cult following and began making music again in the mid ’90s. Torruella is particularly excited about St. John for her raw, poetic, and timeless sound, which she notes serves as a nice companion to the film Broken English, which reappraises the life of misunderstood pop icon Marianne Faithfull. Bridget St. John will perform as part of the Sanctuary Showcase along with Philadelphia psych-folk duo @.
ESG: Formed in the Bronx in 1978, ESG is an extremely influential dance-punk band whose funk- and rock-inflected music has inspired the likes of LCD Soundsystem and Karen O of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs and been sampled by hip-hop icons such as TLC, Wu-Tang Clan, MF Doom, and The Notorious B.I.G., among many others. Now, as ESG enter their final year as a band, they’ll be performing for their first—and likely only—time in Missouri at The Blue Note Dance Party, with support from acid house acolytes Peace Lily and SLM’s best new artist of 2025, Soumir.
Kelly Moran: A New York–based composer and producer, Kelly Moran is known for her experimental approach to the piano, creating hypnotizing and mesmerizing sounds and textures that have been lauded across genres. Moran will be performing as part of the Left Field Series 2026, presented in conjunction with Dismal Niche and the We Always Swing Jazz Series, alongside Chicago-based guitarist Bill MacKay.
The Events
Beyond a staggering program of films and music showcases, there are plenty of other events worth checking out during True/False. The Jubilee reception at the Missouri Theatre kicks the festival off Thursday evening. Later on Thursday night, the @ction Party, available for Spring Passholders and above, is the fest’s biggest party, hosted at The Landing at Harpo’s, with STL DJ TreHitz spinning a driving mix of hip-hop and electronica. Friday evening, the famous March March parade takes over Ninth Street and walks straight into the Reality Bites reception, which features an array of food and drinks from local vendors at the Missouri Theatre. Later on Friday, the Short Circuit event at Hexagon Alley invites Super Circle and Silver Circle passholders to chat with the filmmakers behind the shorts playing the fest. The fest’s long-running in-person game show, Gimme Truth!, hits the Blue Note stage Saturday night. Busker’s Last Stand closes things out on Sunday evening with a final showcase of the many different musical acts at the festival, following the final film screening of the weekend at the Missouri Theatre. A note for longtime attendees: the long-running late-night, end-of-fest Toasted program, hosted at Cafe Berlin, has been retired for the 2026 iteration of the fest.
