The juxtaposition — striking. A Pete Seger cover echoed across the Missouri Theatre before the commencement and final screening of the True/False Film Festival, leaving some enamored-yet-emotional festival-goers to celebrate the only way they knew how — by jigging in the aisles.
Despite the uplifting tune and subsequent celebration, the tone of the attendees at the commencement dinner and screening of Director Jerry Rothwell's "How to Change the World" seemed sadly skeptical. "Could it be over already? Do we really have to wait until next year?"
True/False co-founder Paul Sturtz didn't beat around the bush. After bringing out the staff for their bows, Sturtz admitted that the festival was indeed over for another year, even though it just felt like it started. He spent most of his brief moment on stage to reflect on how the final film of the weekend paralleled this passion to put on the festival.
"The film we've chosen for tonight is appropriate in that it is about an organization in all of its complications — all the triumphs, all the tensions, all the ups and downs that go along with trying to do something big," Sturtz said.
To end the commencement, the U.K.-bred Rothwell took note of this as well. In a rather sly manner, he recognized the somewhat strange relationship between a mid-sized city like Columbia and the festival.
"Before I came here, a friend of mine said that coming to True/False a few years ago was one of his top five life events that he'd ever had," Rothwell said. "I kind of thought that was odd. But, I understand now, and I think it's an incredible privilege to play the film for you guys."