Tonight Columbia welcomed the 10th annual True/False Film Festival. Here is a peek at what this weekend holds. My journey through the opening night of T/F – in a sort-of non-chronological but rather geographical way – begins at an iconic Columbia landmark: the Tiger Hotel Festival-goers enter through a rotating glass door, up a flight of stairs, and then on to wait in the Q along with me to receive a number. Once inside, various artistic displays – like this one – provide entertainment during the wait. When I finally enter the theater I am (to my pleasure) greeted by the sound of Jerusalem and the Starbaskets. Buskers are common at T/F, and sometimes even steal the show. After my first show I hurry down to The Blue Note to wait in the Q again. I sometimes find the Q as entertaining as the docs, especially when I meet curious folk from out of town. One downside to the Q, though, is that I don’t get much time to listen to some buskers as much as I’d like. This particular band, Toughcats, has a penchant for energetic facial expressions. Note the drummer… I now walk down Alley A, which the T/F booklet calls the “main artery” of the festival. I like to think of it as a hidden gem, a secret hideaway even most Columbia natives don’t know of. Curious art, commissioned for T/F, adorns the brick walls enclosing the alley. I walk under the hanging portion of “Stilted,” a creative piece by Yulia Pinkusevich that also includes the murals on the walls. Alley A also runs by Okampi, a favorite sushi bar of mine (off to the right, next to the hanging lights). The alley finally stops at the T/F box office, which holds still more clever art, like this…structure. Clouds hang down from the ceiling, further adding to the surreal feel of the shop – and the festival. A bird protects her nest – full of film negatives. A short walk down 9th Street brings me to Sparky’s, which continues to do a big business despite the below-freezing temperatures. Inside the Missouri Theater lies a lit T/F art piece – along with hundreds of movie-goers eager to see the next doc. A view from the Q. As my long night comes to a close I find myself drawn by this curious structure, seemingly representing this year’s theme: The Collective Architecture of the Impossible
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