This is a four-part series recapping the events of the True/False Film Fest (March 5-8). If you'd like to start the story from the beginning, read Part 1: Thursday.
Saturday
9:30 AM : Meru
The weekend of the fest I was keeping a small travel journal, which I might share some pictures of later, but my entry after seeing Meru truly captures how much I enjoyed it. So in the words of my past self:
"OMG, this film was epic! It was adventurous, dangerous, inspiring, endearing, beautifully shot, eloquently told, and so far my favorite film. It was so much more than a climbing film. It had passion; insane, what-are-they-thinking kind of passion that really drives the human spirit. The companionship, trust and bonding shown between the guys are so strong and paralleled only by those who experience intensity in that way together. The danger in the risks they take is equally matched by the rewards - I can only assume. It really puts life into perspective."
I couldn't have said it better myself. Meru really was an epic film on many levels. After the film, both Chai and Jimmy were present for a Q&A session. We happened to be sitting close to the front so I snapped a decent photo. The real excitement of that moment came later on when we realized that they reposted my photo on the Meru Film Instagram! I nerded out for quite awhile after that. I may not be Instagram famous, yet, but that was my mini moment of fame.
"OMG, this film was epic! It was adventurous, dangerous, inspiring, endearing, beautifully shot, eloquently told, and so far my favorite film. It was so much more than a climbing film. It had passion; insane, what-are-they-thinking kind of passion that really drives the human spirit. The companionship, trust and bonding shown between the guys are so strong and paralleled only by those who experience intensity in that way together. The danger in the risks they take is equally matched by the rewards - I can only assume. It really puts life into perspective."
I couldn't have said it better myself. Meru really was an epic film on many levels. After the film, both Chai and Jimmy were present for a Q&A session. We happened to be sitting close to the front so I snapped a decent photo. The real excitement of that moment came later on when we realized that they reposted my photo on the Meru Film Instagram! I nerded out for quite awhile after that. I may not be Instagram famous, yet, but that was my mini moment of fame.
A few more juicy layers to this film is that two of the climbers are artists. Jimmy Chin co-directed the film with his wife E. Chai Vasarhelyi. Aside from being a professional climber for The North Face, he is a filmmaker, and a photographer for National Geographic. His photographic work is stunning, if you can't tell by the photo above. A second climber in the film is Renan Ozturk. Before he became a professional climber and Camp4 Collective filmmaker, he would travel around the country to climb for fun and sport. On his climbs, he began creating drawn and painted landscapes. They are gorgeous! If you want to dream a little about adventure or you just like amazing photography, I recommend checking out their works and following both Renan and Jimmy on Instagram.
11:45 AM : Art Ramble
After watching Meru, we were all buzzing with excitement. On our walk to the Art Ramble, the students in my group were talking nonstop as we all recounted our favorite scenes. The Art Ramble is a neat experience and an added bonus to the events of the fest. Led by Gabriel, we weave through the blocks of downtown admiring and discussing both the permanent art installations and the temporary pieces installed for the fest weekend. Gabriel's quirky and zany personality adds both humor and thoughtfulness to the experience.
2:00 PM : Sparky's Showcase
Columbia does a wonderful job of supporting local businesses. There are many local restaurants, breweries, boutiques, and of course dessert shops. Sparky's is a downtown favorite serving homemade ice cream with local ingredients. Every year for the fest, this quirky ice cream parlor turns itself into a mini music venue. We listened to CATKIN perform; they were wholesome and fantastic.
3:30 PM : You Can't Get There From Here (Shorts)
This was the first shorts series I've seen at True/False. It was great. I really enjoyed the variety that the shorts offered. They were all emotionally charged for different reasons. The series included six different shorts.
>> Escort (dir. Guido Hendrikx): This short followed the training program of Dutch deportation escorts.
>> The Face of Ukraine (dir. Kitty Green): A series of audition tapes of young Ukrainian girls trying out to play Olympic figure skater Oksana Baiul.
>> Hotel 22 (dir. Elizabeth Lo): Follows the only 24-hour bus route in Silicon Valley where the homeless find refuge at night.
>> Layover (dir. Vanessa Renwick): A flock of Vaux's Swifts migrate in an interesting swarm of pattern. They do this for a few weeks and are the only birds to sleep at night and migrate during the day.
>> One Year Lease (dir. Brian Bolster): Two tenants in NYC have a crazy landlady who leaves incessant ramblings on their answering machine.
>> Among Us (dir. Guido Hendrikx): This film interviewed pedophiles who are living with this attraction but not acting upon it. The director said he was looking for a story about the struggle and balance of rational morality and instinct. To keep the subjects anonymous and protect their privacy, they did not show the subjects' faces, and used voice actors. Because of this, they needed visuals to correspond to tell the story. The chosen images and styling mirrored different views of reality the pedophiles had. This was visually stunning. The images mirrored the words in a poetic way. There was honesty, darkness, and love represented in this powerful and provocative story of human nature and the human condition.
>> Escort (dir. Guido Hendrikx): This short followed the training program of Dutch deportation escorts.
>> The Face of Ukraine (dir. Kitty Green): A series of audition tapes of young Ukrainian girls trying out to play Olympic figure skater Oksana Baiul.
>> Hotel 22 (dir. Elizabeth Lo): Follows the only 24-hour bus route in Silicon Valley where the homeless find refuge at night.
>> Layover (dir. Vanessa Renwick): A flock of Vaux's Swifts migrate in an interesting swarm of pattern. They do this for a few weeks and are the only birds to sleep at night and migrate during the day.
>> One Year Lease (dir. Brian Bolster): Two tenants in NYC have a crazy landlady who leaves incessant ramblings on their answering machine.
>> Among Us (dir. Guido Hendrikx): This film interviewed pedophiles who are living with this attraction but not acting upon it. The director said he was looking for a story about the struggle and balance of rational morality and instinct. To keep the subjects anonymous and protect their privacy, they did not show the subjects' faces, and used voice actors. Because of this, they needed visuals to correspond to tell the story. The chosen images and styling mirrored different views of reality the pedophiles had. This was visually stunning. The images mirrored the words in a poetic way. There was honesty, darkness, and love represented in this powerful and provocative story of human nature and the human condition.
6:00 PM : Bitter Lake
This film used a myriad of appropriated imagery and videos to show the history of both America's and Britain's history with Afghanistan. It showed the parallels between our past and our present, and how much the decisions of our history affect the world today. My personal opinion was that it was too long. I appreciated the artful use of found and archival footage, but the story wasn't told linearly so it was hard to follow.
9:30 PM : Gimme Truth
Gimme Truth is always a great time. It is the T/F game show were local filmmakers submit two-minute videos that either have to be completely true or completely false. Then a panel of judges, usually comprised of visiting filmmakers of the fest, have to vote whether the short if true or false. This year's Gimme Truth was especially great because a group of my students submitted a film that was chosen as one of the 10 shorts featured. And on top of my proud mama bear feelings, I starred as one of the subjects in their mockumentary about a living history LARPing group. I've shared their short below!
Filmmakers: Alexander Isgriggs, Jess Christensen, Maddy Mueller, and Jilly Dos Santos.
Read Part 4: Sunday