The True/False Film Fest is proud to announce its full slate of 33 new feature films and 25 new short films. These films were selected from roughly 1,200 submissions and hundreds more scouted from festivals around the world. Unfolding March 2-5, 2023 in Columbia, Missouri, the festival highlights bold cinematic visions from filmmakers experimenting with the possibilities of representing reality.

The 20th edition of True/False will present eight world premieres and seven North American premieres in the feature lineup. 19 of the feature films are from first-time feature directors. The feature-length films marking their world premieres at T/F are Feet in Water, Head on Fire, directed by Terra Long (Canada, USA), La Bonga, directed by Sebastián Pinzón Silva & Canela Reyes (Colombia, USA), Tavuri directed by Dervis Zaim (Turkey), How to Have an American Baby, directed by Leslie Tai (USA), Natalia, directed by Elizabeth Mirzaei (USA), Red Herring, directed by Kit Vincent (UK), The Taste of Mango, directed by Chloe Abrahams (UK, USA), and Time Bomb Y2K directed by Brian Becker & Marley McDonald (USA).

Seven feature-length films will hold their North American premieres at True/False, including Dogwatch, directed by Gregoris Rentis (Greece, France), Three Women, directed by Maksym Melnyk (Germany), Ramona, directed by Victoria Linares Villegas (Dominican Republic), Hummingbirds, directed by Silvia Del Carmen Castaños & Estefanía “Beba” Contreras (USA), Mafifa, directed by Daniela Muñoz Barroso (Cuba), Guapo’y, directed by Sofia Paoli Thorne (Paraguay, Argentina, Qatar), and R 21 aka Restoring Solidarity, directed by Mohanad Yaqubi (Palestine).

True/False will also bring to Columbia a number of hits from the festival circuit including, Milisuthando, directed by Milisuthando Bongela (South Africa, Colombia), Anhell69, directed by Theo Montoya (Colombia, Romania, France, Germany), Xaarasi Xanne (Crossing Voices), directed by Raphaël Grisey & Bouba Touré (France, Germany), Bobi Wine: The People’s President, directed by Christopher Sharpe & Moses Bwayo (USA, UK, Uganda), Joonam, directed by Sierra Urich (USA), Paradise, directed by Alexander Abaturov (France, Switzerland), and Going to Mars: The Nikki Giovanni Project, directed by Michèle Stephenson & Joe Brewster (USA). 

Artistic Director, Chloé Trayner said, “We’re incredibly excited to present this year’s film lineup which encapsulates all of the core programming values of True/False Film Fest. These are films rooted in ideas yet led by feelings, films where you can feel the filmmaker’s hands at work, and films that don’t offer simple answers but instead pose questions about the world around us. It is a collection of films that is geographically, formally, and thematically diverse. We’re so proud to share these artists’ work with our audiences.”

In keeping with the core values of the Ragtag Film Society, True/False is committed to inclusion and transparency and continues to track demographic data. Of the 58 new films, 59% are directed or co-directed by women or non-binary filmmakers. 55% of the films are directed or co-directed by filmmakers who self-identify as people of color.

This year’s festival was programmed by Film Programmer Kristal Sotomayor and RFS Artistic Director Chloé Trayner, along with program advisors Jonathan Ali and Khaula Malik. The 20th True/False Film Fest, a project of Ragtag Film Society, will take place March 2-5, 2023, in downtown Columbia, Missouri.