True/False: Day One

I am in Columbia MO ya'll! YAY! Last night on my way back to my hotel here I was talking to an amazing volunteer for the fest, in fact every time I engage with a fest volunteer it turns out that, when they are not driving people around to venues or taking tickets or trying to squeeze one more film into their schedule, they are leading wonderful, often vital, lives engaged in something they are (almost!) as passionate about as they are about True/False! Jackie & I got into a conversation about how people who have never been to T/F don't get it. And, like any good cult, it is true.

There really is a spark in every part of this festival that is indescribable and intangible, an ether-like mix of beautiful art, sweet souls, and a general feeling of home in some way as the streets are filled with all kinds of people discussing expertly curated documentary film, leaving the standard film fest attitude problem to be hugged out immediately upon arrival! You all know I drank the T/F Kool Aid (or maybe it's the Schlafly?) awhile ago but upon my return I can safely say: DRINK THE KOOL AID!  Ok, more to come after I continue my cult like rituals on Day Two!



O, and by the way, this years theme is : Magic Realism! That sweet spot of what is actually happening behind the magic trick, the realness existing somewhere before it gets trapped on film and portrayed as a version of truth before our eyes in the glow of the whirring projector.  (Also there is more caffeine in my blood than blood right now so I apologize for whatever this post sounds like.)