Uncovering Truth in the Middle at True/False

Historic Midwestern downtowns speak my language – homespun coffee spots, thrift stores piled high with treasure, and diners with unspeakably good food. Crimson brick, intermingled with ivory stone, in neat little rows as if the buildings were under the tutelage of Miss Clavel. These places always feel like home, even if I’ve never stepped foot in that zipcode before. When those streets are filled with throngs of cinephiles, it’s even better, especially when those film lovers are hungry for truth — or at least waxing philosophical on the True/False of it all. 

Peeling back the onion of a story has always been my forte, and dabbling in subjectivity is much of what I do. As a theater critic, I’m well aware that my opinion on a show cannot be the objective truth. Leave it to me to find solace in a tidal wave of fake news crying foxes in a documentary film festival in, of all places, Columbia, Missouri — home of the first journalism school. 

What a gloriously profound philosophical conundrum. Tens of thousands of people descend on the college city of Columbia – known for its J-school – to wrestle with the narratives in an event like True/False Film Fest.  For one weekend a year, this city lovingly called CoMo becomes a petri dish of puzzlement. Spurred by the fest’s parent –the Ragtag Film Society – these visiting theater dwellers become one with this undeniably charming city’s CinemaScope. 

It felt like a college reunion for a school I never attended. In a town I’d never been to. With people I’d never met. Suddenly, I was 19 again, huddled in my dorm room devouring movies as if my life depended on it. A student of the world with little else to worry about but grabbing one too many lattes before the next film. 

No matter where you look during T/F, it feels as if you never left the theater. Heck, even walking into the adorable Yellow Dog Bookshop, I couldn’t escape it. I made my way to the theater books when my eyes immediately met a familiar name — Annie Baker. The Flick. Her play about people who work in a movie theater. Baker’s play has long been one of my favorites, in part because it explores how much silence can become a character in our lives and how much beauty can be found in the mundane. If you’re wondering – yes, I did buy that copy of the play. Even Luigi Pirandello couldn’t have written a more meta moment. 

While Ragtag runs the shebang, their film selection is anything but. Their carefully curated collection encompasses a wide range of storytelling to cater to diverse tastes, from the powerful A Body to Live In about Fakir Musafar and the body modification movement to the hilarious and enlightening The Dating Game about a group of men looking for love in China where they greatly outnumber women. 

The Dating Game, in particular, was a fascinating audience to be part of, mainly because of my unique connection to China. My older sister Jaime lived in China for 15 years, and my family hosted Summer – a Chinese exchange student who came for a year but then stayed in the United States for college nearby. She became family — she and her parents even came to my wedding. In that sense, I have two sisters who have lived in China, if you include my jiějiě (big sister) Summer. Having been to China too, I forget how disconnected we are from this culture that lies a world away. I was astounded that so many people I overheard talking about this film had forgotten about China’s One Child policy — the reason for the population disparity between men and women. I was heartened, too, to hear so many people discussing total strangers as if they were old friends. While cinematic fiction can transport us to entirely new worlds, documentaries remind us that there is much to be learned from this one. 

Shown all over the city, T/F becomes a veritable CoMo scavenger hunt. You learn more about this place in just a few days than you could imagine. Bedraggled from festival events and showings, you quickly learn to run to Shortwave Coffee for the best latte (but know that Lakota Coffee is the spot for the vibes), or you can dash over to The Broadway Columbia in the middle of the day for solace and a crisp spinach salad with diced apples at 11Eleven. 

After only a matter of days, CoMo became a place I’d long to return to. Ragtag’s fest danced in my mind. The only thing I could have wished for my experience there was more time. More slots in my day to cram in more movies, more quiet moments contemplating storytelling with my notebook in hand outside of Sage. Just to be in a place where truths and falsehoods matter. 

A quintessential Midwestern town where people from all over meet in the middle. Whether belaboring their opinions on Predators or discussing how The Track spoke to them. Meetings of the mind that met in the middle — both literally and figuratively. T/F was a much-needed reminder that traveling expands our horizons in ways we don’t expect, especially in moments like these. 

In a moment when everywhere we look, a false narrative is being spun in every direction, T/F was a stepping stone. Free from the web’s entrenchment. Free to savor pierogies at Café Poland by Iwona or reminisce about a German adventure at Günter Hans. CoMo offers sanctuary, a chance to rest. In the middle of it all. In the middle of the country. In the middle of an information superstorm. 

Rest. 

True/False Film Fest makes its annual return to CoMo March 5-8, 2026. 

Seeking impartial news? Meet 1440.

Every day, 3.5 million readers turn to 1440 for their factual news. We sift through 100+ sources to bring you a complete summary of politics, global events, business, and culture, all in a brief 5-minute email. Enjoy an impartial news experience.

Join for free today!