True/False documentary film fest is Mar. 3-6 in Columbia MO

The True/False documentary film festival, March 3-6, is one of the country’s best documentary film festivals, that annually shows a slate of outstanding documentaries on an array of topics, including a surprising number of future award-winners and Oscar contenders. And it takes place in college town Columbia, Missouri, this weekend. What better way to greet spring?

True/False has no awards or competitions but it does have amazing documentaries from around the world, excellent, engrossing discussions with every feature length documentary, a true festival vibe, and some of the year’s best documentaries on a variety of topics. Even better, it is an entirely walk-able festival in a charming college town, full of interesting shops and a broad selection of places to eat and stay. It gets everyone in a party mood by kicking off with a parade every year.

This year, some of the hottest docs are here. One of the hottest, in more than one sense, is FIRE OF LOVE, the love story of a pair of volcanologists, Katia and Maurice Kraftt, devoted to both studying volcanoes and filming them, shooting electrifying footage of eruptions, rushing to every one for two decades. RIOTSVILLE, USA focuses on a strange bit of history, with archival stills and footage of “Riotvilles,” fake little towns the U.S. military built during the Civil Rights movement of the 1960s, as training grounds to practice for civil unrest.

Documentaries are often about point-of-view and I DIDN’T SEE YOU THERE captures Reid Davenport’s viewpoint, as he films a circus near his apartment from his wheelchair, reflecting on the history of circuses and people with disabilities. A different kind of point-of-view is found in MIJA, Isabel Castro’s warm-hearted doc about a successful woman music manager who supports her undocumented parents and other family.

But even beyond the docs already getting attention, there are more gems to uncover at True/False. The truth is, you could pick any documentary at True/False and see something interesting, thought-provoking or even eye-opening.

The festival is also sprinkled with parties, special events, concerts and fun events like the game-show style “Gimme Truth,” all capped off with a Closing Night Party.

Visit the festival website at truefalse.org to find information on True/False, read about the films and buy tickets.