True/False Highlights: Let The Little Light Shine and Sirens
The Annual True/False March March Parade
Columbia, Missouri’s own annual documentary film festival – True/False – premiered its impressive programming on the first weekend of the month (March, 3rd-6th 2022). True/False aims to highlight a diverse network of non-fiction filmmakers all around the world. From our backyard to tiny villages in North Vietnam, this year's fest boasts its most internationally programmed fest to date. Being able to experience the fest firsthand this year was an event like no other. Talking to artists, directors, and fellow audience members made for some of the most intriguing conversations, but of all the films screened there were a few that received a weekend full of discussion, thought, and praise. These are the films that stood out the most.
Let the Little Light Shine
Education and gentrification. Two things that shouldn’t have any correlation, yet over the last decade countless schools have fallen into the hands of gentrification – especially those in Chicago, Illinois. Kevin Shaw’s most recent film Let the Little Light Shine (2022) is just one example of education being gentrified within downtown Chicago. Making its world premiere at True/False, Shaw’s film follows a top-ranked predominantly Black elementary school being threatened by a growing population and gentrification at the hands of Chicago public schools (CPS). What makes this film so unique is not just the impressively strong voices, but the fact that CPS is going after a top-ranked school compared to other similar models where they justify the closing because of low-ranks. This stunningly executed and deeply touching film reached hundreds in the historic Missouri Theater during True/False’s “Show Me” series on Saturday, March 5th. The Show Me series is an event that aims to connect with the surrounding community by lowering ticket prices for lower-income individuals. Along with making it more accessible to the public, The Show Me series holds an extended Q&A after the screening with the director and / or producer, and subjects.
Elisabeth Greer Protesting with Fellow Students, Teachers, and Parents
After a year of strict Covid-19 restrictions, reduced capacity, and relocation True/False made its way back to downtown Columbia for a weekend of films, music, art, and community. And no film could have better represented a community like Let the Little Light Shine. Not only do the events that take place within the film parallel closely to those in Columbia’s public school system, but it also reveals the resilience that a community has. Being able to experience this film on the big screen with an audience is an ordeal that was taken for granted before the pandemic hit.
But the atmosphere wasn’t the only thing that made The Show Me series truly special. Shaw’s film crosses all bounds of demographics to connect with a larger audience. The central piece of his film is to invoke compassion. Compassion for BIPOC students, teachers, parents, and an entire education system that has been inherently flawed for years. It’s a film that sparks crucial discussions and leaves viewers critically thinking about their place within the system. The style of Let the Little Light Shine aids in relaying Shaw’s and National Teachers Academy (NTA) – the school he follows in the film – message. Accompanied by a soulful orchestral soundtrack and perfectly cut scenes enhances the subject's personality and mission. Shaw brings suspense, overwhelming joy, and horrible lows to the screen making this feel more like a narrative rather than a documentary. Getting completely absorbed into a film is every filmmaker's dream, and Kevin Shaw achieved that effortlessly.
Sirens
A badass all-female metal band runs onto the stage ready to display their most vulnerable emotions to the crowds of Beirut, Lebanon, a deeply conservative and sometimes dangerous society. Rita Baghdadi’s most recent documentary Sirens (2022) follows the band Slave to Sirens as they find not only their sound and voice but their identity and place in the world. Premiering earlier this year at Sundance, the film has garnered high praise and attention just in time for it to show on the big screen here in Columbia.
Spanning over three years of filming, Baghdadi immerses audiences into the lives of the Middle East’s first all-female metal band, from budding romances to friendship breakups as the women evolve and find themselves. Baghdadi’s relationship with the women is on full display throughout the film as she is able to capture their most intimate moments. It’s a true testament to Baghdadi’s direction that she was able to make these women feel comfortable enough to not censor themselves from the beginning, especially when being openly Queer in Lebanon is immensely dangerous. Although during the Q&A after the screening, Baghdadi did mention that the Queer storyline didn’t show up until about halfway through production. But, once again, this only shows how adaptive Baghdadi is during the filming process. She was able to shift the focus of the film halfway through production and make it into a beautiful and compelling coming-of-age story.
Co-Founders of Sirens (From Left to Right): Lilas and Shery
Amid a country always on the precipice of protests and war, the environment they lived in never fully felt safe. Yet they continued to play their gritty and clever music unapologetically while being true to themselves. The danger, at times, can feel overwhelming or like it’s closing in on our main subjects – Lilas and Shery – especially when the two talk about clubbing and kissing women in public. As Lilas recounts her night out on the town to Shery, protesters trickle down the street until they are completely surrounding them. This intimate scene between two close friends is almost interrupted by the turmoil of their country, yet they continue to laugh and gossip about the women Lilas spent her night with.
This device brings the audience that much closer to the subjects. We feel their emotions, watch their fights, experience their music, and recognize they need each other to survive in their crazy world. Sirens is enthralling from the opening scene to the closing credits, leaving audiences craving for more.