Behind Closed Doors by João Pedro Bim
True/False Film Festival showcases outstanding non-fiction films from all over the world. In this year’s festival, a selection of Latin American non-fiction features and short films have been selected as part of its repertoire. Hosted annually in Columbia, Missouri, the festival brings together filmmakers and audiences to celebrate the visual stories constructed from reality. Personal retrospectives, political investigations, and explorations of family dynamics, the films tell stories from different regions of Latin America.
Two feature films will participate in the festival’s main slate, the Chilean documentary Alien Island / Isla Alien by Cristóbal Valenzuela Berrios is a Twilight Zone-esque investigation into rumors of an island of friendly aliens during the 1980s military dictatorship in Chile. The Brazilian documentary Behind Closed Doors / A Portas Fechadas, directed by João Pedro Bim, explores and uncovers politics and propaganda in 1960s Brazil, unearthing a secret recording of a government meeting, along with archival images and audio.
The program includes four short film categories, with Latin American films included in each selection. ‘Shorts: Impossible Solution’ category, includes the Cuban-French short film Four Holes, directed by Daniela Muñoz Barroso. A humorous portrait of Pepe, the mastermind behind a DIY golf course on the outskirts of Madrid.
‘Shorts: Random’ category includes the Chilean short Familia, directed by Picho Garcia and Gabriela Pena, an innovative, funny, and heartfelt exploration of the weight of expectations told through family Whatsapp messages and Instagram stories. In Junior tu papá, directed by Daniel Díaz, phone calls, soccer heroes, and Colombian history meld together in a rumination on family ties, cultural memory, and diasporic connection.
As part of the ‘Shorts: Absent Presence’ category, the Brazilian short film Roberto Baggio, follows director Henrique Cartaxo as he investigates his childhood memory of Brazil’s 1994 World Cup win, reflecting on capitalism and pop culture through a moody ’90s aesthetic.
The 2024 edition of True/False will take place February 29-March 3.
