It's been almost one month since the True/False Film Festival flooded downtown Columbia with documentary film lovers. Festival organizers said that this year's fest saw a growth in pass sales of 15% from the previous year, but changes to state grants could have an impact on funding. 

This year, the festival's largest grant of funding came from the Missouri Arts Council, but under Gov. Mike Kehoe's proposed budget, the arts council could see $3.7 million in cuts.

The Missouri Arts Council helps support arts organizations in the state through grants. The Ragtag Film Society, which hosts the festival, is one of many organizations in Columbia that receives regular funding from the arts council.

The proposed cuts this year come as Missouri is expected to need roughly $3 billion more in revenue to cover state spending than the state is expected to bring in. Though funding is still being considered in the legislature, it is possible that a reduction in arts council funding could affect grant recipients.

Although the amount of money the festival receives from the arts council varies from year to year, a significant portion of the festival's programming is funded by Missouri Arts Council grants, said Andrea Luque Káram, the executive director of Ragtag Film Society. The film society is a nonprofit organization that hosts the festival each year and runs Ragtag Cinema.

“We have a long way to go securing more funding sources,” Luque Káram said. “But the energy that people brought to this fest really set us up to stay creative, resourceful, and resilient to make sure we are championing our mission and supporting filmmakers and the stories they bring to the big screen.”

In fiscal year 2026, the film society received $35,193 from the arts council. The amount received by the arts council has been declining in recent years, with $47,344 received in 2025 and $56,712 received in 2024. 

Missouri Arts Council Executive Director Michael Donovan said that might cause these numbers to fluctuate, an organization's requested funding amount and the amount of funding the arts council has to give. Donovan said that in recent years, funding requests from organizations have been rising while arts council funding has been declining.

"Recently, year to year, requests are rising quickly, while our funding is diminishing," Donovan said in an email. "Specifically, established institutions such as Ragtag are allowed to request a percentage of their fiscal budget. In FY25, their request reduced 21% over FY24. In FY26, their request remained the same as FY25, but our available funding was reduced 20% at the same time that grant requests increased in amount and number."

As a nonprofit, funding for the organization comes from a variety of places, Luque Káram said. Supporters of Ragtag Film Society, including donors, grants and sponsors, help cover the operational costs of the festival and theater operations each year. Luque Káram said there have been ups and downs to festival funding, adding that the film society has been operating with reduced funding since the COVID-19 pandemic.

In the 2019 tax year, the film society reported $2.4 million in revenue on its public Internal Revenue Service filings. During the 2020 tax year, $1.8 million was reported. According to available public filings, the society has yet to report annual revenues above the 2019 level. But things are moving in the right direction, Luque Káram said.

"We are seeing increased attendance in the cinema as well as a record number of members — over 800 — since 2020," Luque Káram said. "The capacity has been growing at a steady pace, and it is thanks to our incredible staff that stay on top of the direction of the film industry, the interests of our community and the responsibility that we carry to stay relevant."

Included in this year’s festival was a panel regarding the future of the festival. The panelists included True/False Artistic Director Farihah Zaman, Visiting Artistic Director Yance Ford and Luque Káram.

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The panel discussed the festival's commitment to accessibility and inclusion, Luque Káram said, along with their continued work to reduce barriers to accessing their programs. Additionally, True/False’s impact on both Columbia and the film industry was discussed. Within the film industry, Luque Káram said True/False has a reputation for high-quality hospitality, appreciation and treatment.

Box office

Luque Káram said that this year's festival saw a growth in sales of 11% from individual tickets and 15% from pass sales.

In addition to 2,909 passholders, 36,092 shorts and feature film tickets were sold over the weekend. Between presales and at-the-door purchases, 2,000 concert tickets were also sold.

"We are always working towards expanding and growing our audience, but it is not just numbers," Luque Káram said. "Behind every new person that comes to True/False or Ragtag, there is a story. Behind every new community that we reach and invite into our conversations, there is hope. Behind every new country that gets represented in our film lineup, and every growing filmmaker that comes to our Fest, there is a world of opportunity to learn and showcase different cultures, views, and ways of living."

True/False box office manager Stephanie Maitri said that approximately 95% of attendees used passes as opposed to tickets this year. Venue coordinators also reported that queue lines for films seemed to be shorter this year, indicating that people got tickets beforehand and filled the theaters without having to wait in line to get in.

“I started as a volunteer years ago, and now I'm managing the box office, and it's great to be on the side of the festival where all of you can see all of our work come together,” Maitri said. “It takes a team, like it wasn't just me, but it's great to see and hear people walk into the box office, because we're the first people they interact with.”

Megan McConachie works closely with Columbia hotels as the communications and outreach supervisor of the Columbia Convention and Visitors Bureau. She said that many hotels reached maximum capacity over the festival weekend. Local businesses also saw increased revenue because of the festival.

“When we have large groups, a big event like this and an influx of visitors, people stay in our hotels, they dine in our restaurants, they shop in our stores and so that supports thousands of local jobs,” McConachie said.

The Columbia Convention and Visitors Bureau estimated revenue from last year’s True/False weekend to be between $4 and $5 million. Last year, the 2025 MSHSAA State Wrestling Championships were also held in Columbia over the festival weekend, which the visitors bureau said contributed to the overall economic impact. The visitors bureau said revenue estimates from this year's festival weekend are expected to be available this month.

McConachie added that she feels that locals enhance the festival experience for visitors.

“(Locals) always ask folks where they're from, giving recommendations on where they can grab a bite to eat,” McConachie said. “I think that the way that people welcome people from around the world to the True/False Film Fest is such a great reflection of our community, and it keeps people coming back.”

Amber Roldan and Sterling Sewell contributed to this report.

True/False Film Fest by the numbers