It is only days away from the tenth anniversary of the True/False Film Fest and downtown Columbia is abuzz with excitement, anticipation, and, quite possibly, a bit of anxiety and confusion. With many films being labeled as no reserve tickets, or NRT, fest-goers may still be wondering if it’s possible to see these highly anticipated films that include These Birds Walk, The Garden of Eden and The Machine Which Makes Everything Disappear.

The answer is yes. For years the True/False Film Fest has fine-tuned a system that makes it possible for fest-goers to see any screening, regardless of NRT status. This system is called the Q. For T/F 2013, there will be 12,000+ tickets given away or sold through the process.

The Q system, established in 2006 during the third year of True/False gives any fest-goer the opportunity to see films for which they do not currently hold a hard ticket. Q’s open one hour before every film before screenings and those waiting in the Q will receive a number from the colorfully dressed Q Queen correlating with their spot in line. They then simply return 15 minutes before the film to gain admission.

In a nutshell, every single screening that is labeled as NRT still has seats available for fest-goers that are willing to wait just a little bit. The fest has had an overwhelming success with the system. Co-director David Wilson explains, “I know it’s scary to see so many NRT screenings on our site, but I guarantee that we’ll be letting in people from the Q at every single one of those.”

“We’re thrilled by the number of pre-fest pass sales. But I hope that doesn’t deter anyone who didn’t get one from seeing movies. There are still over 12,000 seats available across the fest and you’ll easily be able to access some incredible films at our larger venues – The Blue Note, The Missouri Theatre & Jesse Auditorium.”

But, of course, film fans should always check the Box Office (located at the corner of Broadway & Hitt) for hard tickets too. We’ll make close to 4000 of those available for sale, starting Thursday, Feb. 28 at noon. Line numbers for ticket sales will be distributed starting at 9 am Thursday.

For more information about the Q and other box office related questions, please see our handy Box Office FAQ.