For the third year in a row, I had the opportunity to experience my favorite film festival: theTrue / False Film Fest, just down the road in Columbia, MO.
As in previous years, I went to see documentary films that experiment with non-fiction in surprising and interesting ways. This year did not disappoint, with incredible films, musicians, and artists flooding the city. Every screening I attended was sold out, and Columbia was brimming with life and art. This was a welcome change after years of hybrid festivals and what seemed like lighter-than-usual attendance last year.
Today, there are three films I want to highlight.
Time Bomb Y2K
Filmmakers Brian Becker and Marley McDonald use a dearth of archival footage from the mid to late 90s to weave together a narrative and provide context for the Y2K panic as the year 2000 approaches. Some people feared that a bug in computer systems could essentially bring about the apocalypse.
This time in history is one that I remember vividly. As the millennium approached, I was 14 years old and grew up in a very fire-and-brimstone religious world in Southeast Texas. I remember neighbors buying plots of land to escape the chaos that would surely befall us in the cities. I was worried, but not on the level of those people. I also remember that on New Year's Eve 1999, my family wasn't all that concerned, but there was a tinge of "what if" hanging in the air.
My brother, cousins, and I were skateboarding in the front driveway while the adults were having drinks inside and Dick Clark was on the TV. We watched New Year's roll in from around the world and realized that we were fine. That time almost feels like a dream, but "Time Bomb Y2K" provides so much context that my pre-internet obsessed and fully formed pre-frontal cortex never gave me.
The film is beautifully put together. The sound design is top-notch and all-engrossing. The way the narrative is weaved with just the archival footage is proof of a master at their craft. The film is equal parts informative, scary, funny, and entertaining.
Before the film, a filmmaker I befriended at the festival and I were discussing if broadcast TV cameras and digital cinematography from the late 90s and early 2000s were just bad or if there was a possibility that it could look beautiful in a lo-fi way now. "Time Bomb Y2K" proved the latter.
Time Bomb Y2K is a beautiful film and it was bought by HBO at the Sundance film festival, so keep on the look out for its release in the coming months.
Ramona
The question of who has the right to tell someone's story is at the forefront of art today, whether you're a writer, painter, radio host, or filmmaker. Director, Victoria Linares Villegas, explores this question in her film, Ramona.
Originally planned as a short film, Ramona took an unexpected turn when the director and her lead actress, Camila Santana, began researching the film's main character: a pregnant teenager named Ramona. They met people in situations similar to the character in the film, which led to a fascinating and emotionally charged exploration in the form of a documentary.
The women being interviewed in rural areas The Dominican Republic share pieces of their lives, their struggles, and give advice on what the filmmakers should change in the script. The film doesn't offer easy answers, but it provides a beautiful and playful platform for discovery. The topics discussed aren't easy, yet there is strength and honesty in these women that is truly inspiring. There is also a biting critique of the way pregnancy is used a tool for patriarchy in their worlds.
The film is visually stunning, with wonderful sound and a seamless blend of documentary and narrative elements.
Ramona was one of my favorite films at the festival, and I highly recommend it to anyone.
Bad Press
When the Muskogee nation began censoring the free press, reporter Angel Ellis and a cohort of colleagues fought the tribal government to stop censorship.
This film is enlightening about a community I know little about. Getting to know Angel and her colleagues from the newspapers and RV stations was an absolute joy. The film is engrossing; it pulls you in and doesn't let go. It's a film about an incredibly important subject, and because of Angel, it's entertaining and brimming with punk rock spirit. For example, Angel was a guest at the screening of the film and she came out bursting with energy, middle fingers up, with a standing ovation from the crowd.
I loved this movie! Although the filmmaking is fairly generic, the story and the characters are there, and you will be rooting for these journalists throughout.
Bad Press has distribution and should be available soon so keep a lookout.
That’s it for part one of my True / False coverage, tune in again next week for more.
