Just three days until the kick-off of the 6th True/False Film Festival in Columbia, Missouri, an event that was in the thoughts of many this past weekend in Los Angeles.
On Friday, before the Spirit Awards and Oscars took up all the oxygen in the room, I had a lengthy IM chat with True/False co-director David Wilson about this year's fest. Full disclosure - David and I are co-directing a new film about the Ozark Mountain music and show town, Branson, MIssouri, and he is one of the filmmakers involved in the upcoming CONVENTION film. Long story short, we talk regularly, but there were still some questions I hadn't yet posed to him about this year's incarnation of T/F:
me: We're chatting on Friday, but I'm gonna run this on Monday. So what did you think of the Oscars last night?
David: Seriously, I think some credit is due to the Academy this year for picking a really well-rounded bunch of nominees
Were great films unjustly ignored? Sure. But, c'mon, this is the Oscars. That's what they do.
The more fair question is, were great films selected? And I think the answer is "yes". Which is nice.
me: Do you think that having your fest fall the weekend after the Spirit Awards and Oscar makes any difference in the larger sense, I mean in the indie film world in general?
David: Well, I do feel sort of like we're clearly part of the new year. I mean, other than WALTZ WITH BASHIR and LOOT, we're showing films that people will be talking about at the end of 2009. And that's our goal, really, to put together a batch of titles that we can sort of plant a flag with and say "These are great. These are important. This is as good a snapshot as any of the nonfiction world in 2009"
me: Was programming different for you this year, considering that you'd spent a great deal of your year working on your own film projects. Did it change the way you thought about the stuff you were seeing?
David: For sure! I'd be watching films thinking about what it was like to do a particular interview, how somebody set up a scene, how many initial characters they'd followed and whittled down to just a few.
I think it give me more sympathy in a general way, but less in a specific way. Like, watching one very successful festival film that got sent our way, I was just like "Really? You couldn't find a tripod for that shot?"
me: It probably also reinforces your perspective on the whole notion of where the line is between fiction and nonfiction, because you're thinking about the construction of the films.
David: Completely. They're all constructed. And I get more entrenched in my belief that it's all story and mystery the more I watch. The mystery is the key - keep an audience wanting to know more, never let them feel fully stable. Stable is boring.
me: Were there films in that regard that were surprising for you that you're showing this year?
David: Well, one film I was deeply suspicious of was this Depeche Mode doc called THE POSTERS CAME FROM THE WALLS. It came in late, and we show VERY few music docs at T/F, so I wasn't expecting a lot. But it was from the production team that did the JOY DIVISION doc, which i liked quite a bit, so I was willing to give it a shot. And I was really impressed. It was never, at any point, what I thought it would be. It wasn't even really a music doc, more of a series of portraits of fandom and obsession, but told really lovingly.
Also would have to mention NECROBUSINESS here - Talk about a mystery! This movie plays like Chinatown. Is it constructed? Sure, it has to be. But I'll take that sort of construction any day over some didactic issue doc.
me: You know, I've been having these conversations lately with people about the way festivals over-program, how a small festival will have 60-80 features. I never really thought about the number of films that you screen, but this year it's just under 40, which seems completely manageable.
David: Yeah, one of my mantras as we're programming is that I would be completely happy with a 25 film fest. Meaning that if in some given year we only found 25 films that we could really get behind, well, that would be ok. I just want to show movies I love.
me: Last year, you started showing films more than once during the festival. Before that you only screened films a single time. How did that change the flavor of the fest, if at all?
David: Well, it was something that people were really clamoring for. And it's an interesting dilemma (well, interesting to the dozen festival programmers reading this) - on one hand, we want people to be able to see the films they're interested in, but then there's this way in which you want to leave people just a little bit hungry and desperate. Like, there should always be one film that you can't believe you missed and you heard it was great and you're going to be sure to see it in the future. That's part of a good fest too, missing things.
But certainly showing things twice makes it easier for filmmakers to see each others work, which is a part of True/False that I think is extremely important. We're really invested in building a community among filmmakers and doc folks, cheesy as that may sound.
me: So, you obviously have heard the good things that people say about True/False. Could you have imagined that kind of response when you started five years ago?
David: No. Flat out. No way. I mean, we had started a film series (Ragtag) which then turned into an indie theater here in Columbia. And local response to that was really fantastic. So we knew we had a local audience that would support us, even doing something as crazy as starting a festival that only showed documentaries.
But the way the larger international community has embraced True/False is kinda staggering. I have so much love for the other fests who have helped us along, the bloggers and journalists who took time to stand in a crowded party with me in Toronto and point out a director or distributor, and the filmmakers who take a chance on flying into the middle of Missouri just because two guys assaulted them in the streets of Park City. It's all nuts.
And, honestly, I'm thankful all the time that we live and work in the doc world. It really is more of a true community and the camaraderie is, no bullshit, inspiring.
me: We were talking about the response from the locals at the Spirit Award reception Thursday night. As much as I know what a great town Columbia is, it still kind of amazes me that they will sell out these screenings at the Missouri with its 1700 seats.
David: 1210 :)
me: still
David: yeah, they're amazing. I mean, I get chills every time I get up on that stage and look out and I'm just like "What WORLD is this? I mean, do they know that there aren't any celebrities in this movie?" But the really cool thing is that they DO know. People in Columbia want to talk about the stuff they're watching and they want to talk about how it's being made and, well, you can tell I've got a little hometown pride . . .
me: But you and (co-director) Paul (Sturtz) must have known that Columbia would be responsive - maybe not THAT responsive - but you must have had a feeling that they would be into a festival that straddled this line, asking questions about the nature of documentary and nonfiction.
David: I guess we had a sense. I mean, obviously, there's a huge journalism school here (it took a few years for them to really catch on to what we were up to, but now they're very supportive). And the town is really well-sized for this sort of thing. Not so big that there's lots of competing events, but big enough to really put out a critical mass of people and energy. And it's an educated town for sure. Plus, I mean, Missouri's the Show-Me State, right? So that's got to count for something :)
me: I made a reference to this in another blog post, but it bears repeating that you sold all of your advance tickets for a "TBA" screening within a few hours.
David: Yeah. That was pretty cool. Last year we had to contract a bit, seating-wise, because the Missouri Theatre was being renovated. And so we sold out of passes early and there was a bit of a frenzy for tickets. I think we ran at 85% capacity all weekend. So this year, we've got the Missouri Theatre back, but there's still this sense among the public that it's all going to fill up, so it created a really heightened level of energy and interest in getting passes and tickets. I think we're looking at full houses all weekend long.
Which is a really nice position to be in going into a fest, because it means we can just focus on making it all run smoothly rather than be out hustling to fill seats. Not that we don't still do that a bit, just as a reflex.
me: Sean Farnel has been writing some great stuff about his programming for Hot Docs on his blog. He wrote recently about the questions he asks himself about his program, the first of which was "Does the programme have curatorial rigour, creativity, and innovation? Or, are a we lazily picking the low hanging fruit? Are we taking risks, championing the margins, pushing boundaries and sensibilities…or are we simply drinking from the same tastemaker cup as everybody else?" Are these things you think about?
David: Well, as you know, Sean is the hardest working man in the documentary world. He sees four or five films before most of us have even had our morning coffee. And yeah, those are great questions. I don't think Paul and I have ever asked them so succinctly of ourselves, but I do know that we strive to not be beholden to anyone. To not feel like a movie belongs in our program just because of who made it or how important the subject is or anything like that.
me: I guess that goes back to the idea of the festival as a snapshot of nonfiction right now. If so, what does this year's snapshot say of where we're at collectively.
David: I think that some stylistic strategies that were hotly debated just a few years ago have become accepted. I mean, SERGIO, which was a great (and somewhat overlooked) film at Sundance this year, uses extensive recreations. And when TOUCHING THE VOID opened the first T/F, people were really debating if that was a doc. I didn't hear that same debate around MAN ON WIRE last year, nor do I hear it about SERGIO. Also, I really think the bar has been lifted in terms of doc cinematography. There's just too many skilled filmmakers telling GREAT stories in really beautiful, compelling ways for someone to get away with lazy shot selection. I also feel like the Scandinavians (especially the Danes) are just kicking all of our asses right now. They're really out there, pointing the way to the next level.
me: I know you're showing one of Janus Metz' films, LOVE ON DELIVERY. What is it about the work coming from Denmark and do you have a sense as to how CPH:DOX and the Danish Film Institute plays a role in that?
David: Well, I haven't been to CPH:DOX yet (though it's high on my list) but Paul went a couple of years ago and really loved it. And I have to think that the DFI and the festival are both invaluable in creating opportunities and a community of filmmakers who want to make nonfiction film.
I mean, Denmark is a pretty small country, but their output is just staggering.
me: There's been talk, although I don't know how much of it is hopeful or actually real, about Columbia becoming a place where filmmakers could work year-round, where doc filmmakers in particular could find a place to edit their projects, get some support. Is this something we can talk about at this point or is it far off in the distance.
David: Well, it's coming I think. I feel like there's a new production company here every month, and Lorah Steiner, who heads up the Convention and Visitors Bureau, has been an invaluable ally for the film community. She's really behind building it up, and she really gets that docs could be a successful niche for Columbia the way they've been for T/F.
This year, too, we saw the Citizen Jane Film Fest start up, which is a fest dedicated to women filmmakers, and sponsored by Stephens College, a local women's college, which is putting a lot of resources into building a doc film program.
me: So, with the fest starting in just days, what are you focused on right now?
David: It's all details right now. Like a game of Asteroids - we've shot all the big ones and the medium ones and now it's just these little things whizzing around, plus the occasional super-annoying flying saucer.
Today I decided on a design for the photostrips at our photobooth, signed off on the final screenprint for our t-shirts, set up a couple of interviews for directors, watched the rough cut of our trailers (by bumper whizz Nathan Truesdell) and tried to figure out why we only printed 40 instead 50 reserved tickets for a sponsor package.
And a few other things.
me: True/False does a great job of making sure that visitors know where to get coffee and food and drinks and whatever else they might need, but are there specific travel tips you give filmmakers or visitors to the fest, things that they should make sure to do in Columbia while they are there.
David: Yeah. If you like meat, go to Booches. Get a cheeseburger. Actually, get two, they're small. Don't try and order fries, they don't have 'em. If you like beer, get a Stag. If you like Bloody Marys, they make 'em great.
Most important advice I find myself giving filmmakers coming into T/F is to relax. They're not going to make a sale (though they may make some good friends). They don't need to stand out on the street corner and hand out postcards (their screening will be full already). They don't need to constantly be texting people from a party to see what else is going on - that's it. That party. It'll probably be a good one, so just enjoy.
Killer asteroids simile.
Posted by: Nathan Truesdell | February 23, 2009 at 10:37 PM
3rb
Posted by: Nathan Truesdell | February 24, 2009 at 11:37 AM