The True/False Box Office is where the magic starts. It’s where passholders pick up their packets and tickets, where a lot of merch is sold and where you go if you have any questions about the fest.

In past years, it’s been on Broadway, but the previous location now holds Lizzi and Rocco’s. The box office is farther north this year at Sager Braudis Gallery, which is located at 1025 E. Walnut St. Sager Braudis has been a sponsor of True/False Film Fest in the past.

“[True/False] sought us out,” Sager Braudis director Hannah Reeves said. “The gallery space seemed to work for them. For us, it’s a bigger way to sponsor and be involved.”

While it serves as the box office for True/False, Sager Braudis will continue being open and selling art.

“We started communications in about December about the Sager Braudis space,” box office manager Sam Roth said. “[We talked about] how to organize traffic flow and how to get the thousands of people who come to True/False moving through the space.”

Starting Wednesday, the box office is officially in business for True/False. Holders of Passes, Gateway Packets or Busker Bands can start picking up all their materials at noon, but they should be mindful of the massive crowds of people. After Wednesday, the box office is open for ticket sales and further passholder pickup Thursday through Saturday, 9 a.m. to 10 p.m., and Sunday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

“On Wednesday, March 1, people can come from any time between 12–8 to pick up their pass and reserved tickets — and during these eight hours, there isn’t a rush since fest activities begin on Thursday,” Roth said in an email. “On Thursday morning, the box office will have a Q system where we will be able to let in around 50 people in half-hour time slots.”

There were almost 50,000 individual tickets last year, and though there’s no way to tell exactly how many until the fest is over, they expect the same or more this year, Roth said. With such a high volume of attendees flooding the gallery, there needs to be an efficient way to direct True/False traffic while also keeping the gallery its own functional space. The gallery has two separate doors, and the goal is to keep people coming in through one door and out through the other.

“We designed this exhibit around the box office, knowing traffic will need to flow,” Reeves said. “We have all two-dimensional art for this exhibit so it keeps the path clear. We haven’t done this before, so we may have to adjust if traffic slows down.”

For festival-goers who don’t have passes or want more tickets, individual film tickets can be purchased at the box office for $10, cheaper than the Q price of $12.

“It’s always good to mention that even if people are discouraged by what they see with things being taken or things being NRT [No Reserve Tickets], there are a huge number of ways to access the fest,” Roth said. “There are always ways to see films at the fest.”

There are tons of people behind the scenes working to put the box office together and keep it running throughout the festival. Roth has two assistant box office managers, as well as 31 volunteers who will just work at the box office during the festival, he said.

“We’re sharing shifts with all our coworkers so we can all go see films,” Reeves said.

The box office also serves as the official merch station for the festival. The merch store opens on Wednesday when the box office does and has the same hours, but it will stay open a day longer to give people a chance to get any last-minute merch they’d kept their eye on all weekend. Inside Sager Braudis, the merch will be towards the front.

Sager Braudis worked with True/False on its current exhibit in order to give both parties the best situation in the space. Two festival-sponsored artists, sisters Mollie and Zoe Hosmer-Dillard, are featured towards the front of the gallery.

“They did the site-specific art in the box office last year,” Reeves said. “They’re the same artists with different pieces.”

The Hosmer-Dillard sisters have several small paintings for sale. Their collection, Through the Trees, consists of small paintings that together comprise a larger picture. Another True/False sponsored artist, Brittany Nelson, is featured in this exhibit as well. Nelson has multiple large vinyl images that are part of her Monuments to the Conquerors of Space series.

“It was cool to bring in people True/False was working with,” Reeves said. “[The Hosmer-Dillard sisters] have their affordable little paintings here. It’s like a piece of the box office to take home.”

In addition to box office happenings, Sager Braudis will also be participating in First Friday in the North Village Arts District on March 3, the second day of True/False.

“Those three artists will be present at the First Friday reception,” Reeves said. “We’re hoping to get people connected with the gallery, meet the artists and understand the crossover.”

For four days, Sager Braudis will not only be an art gallery, but also the most efficient stop for all True/False questions and concerns.

“We will host both kinds of guests,” Reeves said. “We’ll go with the flow.”

_Edited by Katherine White | kwhite@themaneater.com_