Female voices have been persistent and strong in the early months of this year, and they’ll continue through True/False Film Fest’s screening of _Primas_. The film is the recipient of the 2018 True/False True Life Fund, which is sponsored by The Crossing.

The True Life Fund is given to one film each year and was created to assist filmmakers and subjects who are willing to share their stories on screen with the world. This grant recognizes that documentaries are successful because of those who often have limited means, so True/False and The Crossing repay these subjects who have given viewers the gift of knowledge. The organizations work attentively with the filmmakers to find the specific needs of the subject(s) so the money given will be efficiently and thoughtfully employed.

The documentary, directed by Laura Bari, an Argentinian-born Canadian, follows the life of her two nieces Rocío Álvarez and Aldana Bari Gonzalez making the transition into adulthood as they move to Montreal from their torn homes in Argentina. The two teens use the advice and wisdom of their aunt to escape their lives of traumatic childhoods filled with sexual abuse and violence. Once in Canada, they use the arts of dance, theater and visuals as creative therapy to demonstrate their determination of life and imagination.

“_Primas_ has so many layers to it,” said Dave Cover, co-lead pastor at The Crossing, to NewsOK. “My staff described it as peeling back the layers of an onion as the story of these two girls continues to unfold throughout the film, making it more powerful.”

How the recipient of the True Life Fund uses the money is unrestricted, so the $35,000 given to _Primas_ will most likely help fund Rocío and Aldana’s education.

Cover and David Wilson, co-conspirator of the festival, who created the True Life Fund, have another project involving both organizations, The Alethea Project. The project’s intent is to show documentaries in churches throughout the Midwest and West to start discussions on heavy and difficult topics such as immigration, race in America and climate change, to name a few.

_Primas_ shows at these times:

Friday, March 2, at 11 a.m. in Missouri Theatre
Saturday, March 3, at 12:30 p.m. in Jesse Auditorium
Sunday, March 4, at 3:15 p.m. in Missouri Theatre

_Edited by Brooke Collier | bcollier@themaneater.com_