True/False Film Fest Unveils Lineup Featuring World Premieres and Sundance Award Winners

True/False Film Fest Unveils 2026 Lineup of World Premieres

The True/False Film Fest has announced its lineup for 2026, featuring an impressive selection of world premieres and acclaimed films. The 23rd edition of the renowned nonfiction festival will take place from March 5-8 in Columbia, Missouri.

This year’s programming boasts 21 world premieres, three U.S. premieres, and four North American premieres among a total of 62 selected feature and short films. The lineup was curated from approximately 1,500 submissions from across the globe.

Highlighted selections include Nuisance Bear, which recently won the Grand Jury Prize for U.S. Documentary at Sundance, and To Hold a Mountain, the winner of the Grand Jury Prize for World Cinema Documentary at the same festival. Other Sundance prize winners will also be showcased throughout the event.

The festival will feature a range of new titles including First They Came for My College by Patrick Xavier Bresnan, The Great Experiment by Steve Maing and Eric Daniel Metzgar, and How to Clean a House in Ten Easy Steps by Carolina Gonzalez. Notable films explore various cultural and social themes, such as Mary Oliver: Saved by the Beauty of the World, directed by Sasha Waters, and Phenomena, directed by Josef Gatti.

Yance Ford, an Oscar-nominated filmmaker known for Strong Island, will serve as the Visiting Artistic Director for this year’s festival. Ford expressed his enthusiasm about the diverse lineup, stating, “This lineup is full of filmmakers who are paying attention to place, to history, to craft, and small moments that can open into something much larger." He emphasized that many selected films resonate with current global issues and aim to engage audiences through an exploration of personal relationships and community connections.

The true essence of the festival reflects its dedication to inclusion and transparency. According to festival organizers, of the 74 filmmakers included this year, 47 identify as women or nonbinary, and 47 identify as people of color.

The complete schedule and details regarding screenings will be published by February 9. The event continues to be presented by the Rag Tag Film Society, with programming led by Bedatri Choudhury, Amada Torruella, and Ford.