The Big Pivot From Columbia to Austin

Festival coverage sponsored by IndiePix.

With visions of True/False still dancing in our heads, we must now clear the decks and focus (focus people!) on the looming SXSW Film Festival, to which we will be flying tomorrow. 

But first, one last big summary about this year's triumphant T/F - but don't just take my word for it.  Word from our pal Pete Bland is that the fest set new attendance records for the weekend.  Here's a bit from some of the others who traveled to mid-MIssouri last weekend:

From Eugene Hernandez at indieWIRE:

"In just a few years, riding a wave of increased attention for non-fiction films, T/F has become an important stop on the fest circuit. Just as Matt Dentler at this week's SXSW and Tom Hall at next month's Sarasota Film Festival have personally worked to build strong bonds with filmmakers and industry for their fests, True/False's Paul Sturtz and David Wilson are developing loyalty from a vocal host of supporters. The ultimate proof of their success can be found not only in the strong advocacy coming from filmmakers themselves, but among local audiences who again showed up in record numbers for the distinctive event."

Karina Longworth recaps a particularly memorable warm-up act:

"At some of the larger True/False venues, the buskers sort of fade into the background, but at an intimate space like the new Little Ragtag, the performers really get a chance to take over the room. That’s where I saw Satin and Chenille, a girl and boy (I came late, so I’m not sure which one is Satin and which one is Chenille) who did a tongue-in-cheek set of standards and love songs before the Friday night screening of Carny.

“I hope you guys love each other as much as we love love songs,” said the boy, before they launched into an acoustic guitar-fueled version of “Baby It’s Cold Outside.” They followed that up with an epic, partially-accapella version on “I’ve Had The Time of My Life,” which turned into a mass sing-a-long. It was a great moment, and maybe an audience of 50 or so moviegoers united by a Dirty Dancing reference is a little thing compared to the achievement of such a well-curated program of films, but it’s also one of the many things that sets True/False apart from larger, more impersonal festivals, and it’s definitely a reason to go back next year."

At the IndiePix blog, Danielle DiGiacomo finds herself "shell-shocked":

"True/False really was about this new recognition of the power of nonfiction, as well as the recognition that there is no such thing AS nonfiction. These artists whose films I saw this weekend — Margaret Brown (THE ORDER OF MYTHS is her wonderful exploration of racial segregation and ritual in the American South); Nanette Burnstein (AMERICAN TEEN is an intensely crafted film that captures the truth of teenage life in midwest America); Cynthia Lester (MY MOTHER’S GARDEN explores the filmmaker’s mother’s hoarding disorder and mental illness with a sense of the beauty of difference and unconditional love); Daniel Robin (MY OLYMPIC SUMMER delves into the filmmaker’s collapsed marriage through the lens of his mother’s existential angst); Anna Browlnowski (FORBIDDEN LIES is an absolutely phenomenal film about a bestselling author/pathological liar that works on so many levels and shifts direction unexpectedly so many times I was utterly captivated); and James Marsh (MAN ON WIRE, about the World Trade Center tightrope walk of Philippe Petit, is about such a huge amount more that the audience was collectively moved to tears) — all capture a larger truth through their own lenses, their Cinema Eyes. I have not felt this moved since I attended the Flaherty Film Seminar four years ago. There was a feeling of collective energy and frenzy, of the spirit of everyone there supporting the same ideas."

Likewise, Shooting From the Hip's Ingrid Kopp is in love:

"The films were excellent, the parties were fun and everybody was so friendly it was almost disconcerting (for a Brit living in New York it’s a bit of a shock to the system). The local community gets very involved in the festival which means that there are enthusiastic volunteers everywhere and screenings are packed with locals rather than industry folk. And they really do come out to support the films."

Pamela Cohn at Still in Motion describes herself as "constantly moved by it all":

"From the welcome letter you receive upon your arrival to the friendly, smiling faces that greet you everywhere you go (okay, the night manager at the Regency Hotel was always a bit grumpy), you feel at home pretty darn quickly.  And the fact that you're in the heartland of this country gives it a resonance for both American and foreign filmmakers and artists, that it just would not have were it in, or near, New York City or Los Angeles.  Nonetheless, it's become, very rapidly, a destination for documentary lovers."

Joel Heller's got a podcast interview with T/F co-conspirators Sturtz and Wilson:

"It's astonishing, not only to think about the challenges Paul and David faced in creating a regional non-fiction festival that would take place in a small mid-western town during the winter, but also to consider how quickly the festival has earned the respect and goodwill of the international documentary film community—as well as the people of Columbia, Missouri.

Throughout the weekend, the "greatness" of everyone's experience attending True/False (including my own) was a continuous topic of conversation. My friends and I bandied about our theories how True/False came to be so amazing. Was it the festival's Telluride-inspired roots, the integrity and warmth of David and Paul, the closeness of the venues, the intelligence and enthusiasm of Columbia's residents (particularly the 500 devoted volunteers—1 out of every 200 residents!), the quality of the films, or the participation of filmmakers? All that is true—but I believe at the heart of the magic lies Paul and David's clear intention to focus on creating what Paul describes as "an ecstatic communal experience." The cheering, extended, rock-star standing ovation for David and Paul—as they walked onto the stage of the 1,750-seat Jesse Hall Auditorium for Sunday night's closing film—was a testament to their success at doing exactly that."

More to come certainly from these and others. 

But onward now to Austin.  For our own preview of this year's documentaries, check out the following links:

• Documentary Competition: BULLETPROOF SALESMAN, FRONTRUNNERS, FULL BATTLE RATTLE, THE MATADOR, SEX POSITIVE, SOME ASSEMBLY REQUIRED, THEY KILLED SISTER DOROTHY and WE ARE WIZARDS.
• Music Films: including BLIP FESTIVAL, HEAVY LOAD, NERDCORE RISING, OF ALL THE THINGS, THROW DOWN YOUR HEART, THE UPSETTER: THE LIFE AND MUSIC OF LEE "SCRATCH" PERRY, THE WRECKING CREW, AGILE MOBILE HOSTILE: A YEAR WITH ANDRE WILLIAMS, THE NIGHT JAMES BROWN SAVED BOSTON and THE SWEET LADY WITH THE NASTY VOICE.
• And the Rest of the Documentary Lineup: including 'BAMA GIRL, FLYING ON ONE ENGINE, IN A DREAM, THE OSTRICH TESTIMONIES, AT THE DEATH HOUSE DOOR, BEAUTIFUL LOSERS, CRAWFORD, DREAMS WITH SHARP TEETH, SECOND SKIN, INTIMIDAD, THE KING OF TEXAS, TULIA, TEXAS, NOT YOUR TYPICAL BIGFOOT MOVIE, BI THE WAY, HERE'S JOHNNY and HORI SMOKU SAILOR JERRY.

Karina previews NERDCORE RISING, SECOND SKIN, NOT YOUR TYPICAL BIGFOOT MOVIE and looks at some of the panels lineup.

indieWIRE has interviews with some of the competition filmmakers, including Michael Tucker of BULLETPROOF SALESMAN, Stephen Higgins and Nina Gilden Seavey of THE MATADOR and Caroline Suh of FRONTRUNNERS.

Meanwhile, eFilmCritic launches their epic coverage with interviews with Grant Gee (JOY DIVISION), Doug Benson (SUPER HIGH ME), Jay Delaney (BIGFOOT MOVIE), Eric Matthies and Tricia Todd (AGILE MOBILE HOSTILE), Ceri Levy (BANANAZ), Jerry Rothwell (HEAVY LOAD), Jody Lambert (OF ALL THE THINGS), Adam Vollick (HERE IS WHAT IS), Jeremiah Zagar (IN A DREAM), Erich Weiss (HORI SMOKU), Paul Owens (BLIP FESTIVAL), Liz Mermin (SHOT IN BOMBAY), Daryl Wein (SEX POSITIVE), Kurt Kuenne (DEAR ZACHARY), David Modigliani (CRAWFORD) and Celia Maysles (WILD BLUE YONDER).

Much more to come from Austin...

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