In case you haven’t heard of the True/False Film Fest before now, here’s a quick primer:

• Thursday–Sunday, March 3-6, 2016
• Downtown Columbia, Missouri
• 36 of the newest creative non-fiction feature films from around the world (+ 20 shorts)
• 40 bands and 13 concerts
• 4 parties
• 1 parade

While the best way to opt into this weekend of fun may be to purchase a festival pass, we definitely embrace the festival first-timer and make it easy to get a taste of True/False on the fly. Below, you’ll find a whole list of things you can do to enjoy the fest this year without a pass.

Option #1 – Come Get Tickets at the Box Office. 

The box office opens for ticket sales on Thursday, March 3 at 9am. We will have over 5,000 film tickets to sell to about 20 different screenings. We will also have tickets available for several LOST LETTERS time slots, as well as free tickets to our late night Field Session game show, Clicking and Streaming. To anticipate what tickets will be available on Thursday, visit our schedule grid and/or our films pages. If you see the little red NRT flag next to a screening time, that means we won’t have tickets for sale. Those two pages will also be updated in real time – so as box office ticket sales get underway, you can keep track online and via the mobile app of what screenings have gone NRT.

The box office is located at the corner of Broadway and Hitt Streets in downtown Columbia, inside the Imago Gallery and Cultural Center (and you can’t miss the sign).

Option #2 – Use the Q for Anything Else You Want to See.

If you DO see that NRT flag next to a screening you’re interested in attending…the Q will be your friend! It works. We have a buffer at every venue specifically for Q-goers. On top of that, we have a lot of passholders with reserved tickets who change their plans and free up even more seats for the Q-goers. That means that you have a very good chance of getting in just by using the Q.

To use the Q: go to the venue directly (not the box office) at least 1 hour before the film starts. At one hour out, the ebullient Q Queens will hand out Q numbers – one per person. With your Q-number in hand, you can leave (cut back on that waiting in line time!). Be sure to return to the venue 15 minutes prior to the film start, at which point the venue staff will let in as many people from the Q line as there are seats available. There has never been a screening in T/F history where no one has gotten in from the Q. You will only pay for your ticket at the door if there is for sure a seat for you. Tickets at the door are $12.

Even more options!

On top of the films, here is a list of festival events and programs that are FREE and open to the public – no ticket required! Click the links to read more about each one:

–the March March

-the Field Sessions at the Reynolds Journalism Institute

–The Good Wizard Transmedia Arcade

-the Neither/Nor critic series festival sidebar (you’ll need to use the Q, but admission is free!)

–The Great Wall screenings

-the Sparky’s afternoon showcases, and the Landmark Fired Up showcases

–The Art Ramble

-the VJ Suave Animation Ride

–Toasted at Cafe Berlin

Have any questions? Call our friendly box office staff at 573.442.TRUE (8783) and they’ll be happy to help.