The political state of the world has long been fuel for artists. For some, creating art might serve as an outlet for complex emotions. For others, art can be a megaphone; a way to sound the alarm by amplifying a political voice. Regardless, art with a political message at its core has been effective in calling audiences to action and raising awareness for social issues for decades, and this year’s program for True/False Film Fest 2025 is no outlier. 

Themes of environmental activism, racial justice and the media underscore more than 10 artworks and films across the program. More than a combined 20 films tell the stories of LGBTQ+ life, with many highlighting gender identity struggles and trans rights as well as the wide array of complexities that exist within some multicultural households. 

Artists this year may have felt particularly inspired by the 2024 presidential election or international global events, as several of the films, art installations, events and performers lined up for this year share common threads of political strife. 

Existence is resistance with these LGBTQ+ films

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Family Album 

Directed by Laura Casabé

Showtimes: 

Thursday, Feb. 27 at 10:15 p.m. in Big Ragtag.

Saturday, March 1 at 9:15 a.m. in Willy Wilson at Ragtag Cinema.

Sunday, March 2 at 6 p.m. in The Blue Note.

Released in 2024, “Family Album” shows a joyful reminiscence of the legacy of the late trans icon Claudia Pía Baudracco, tracing the path she forged to decriminalize trans existence and empower the LGBTQ+ community in Argentina.  

Sally 

Directed by Cristina Costantini

Showtimes:

Friday, Feb. 28 at 10 p.m. in the Missouri Theatre.

Saturday, March 1 at 2:45 p.m. in Rhynsburger Theatre.

Sunday, March 2 at 9:15 a.m. in Rhynsburger Theatre.

America’s first female astronaut, Sally Ride, guarded her personal life from intense, prying eyes of the public and the media while serving as a global role model for involving young people, especially girls, in science. Romantic yet harrowing,

“Sally,” released in 2025, flips perspective onto Ride’s lifelong partner, Tam O’Shaughnessy, and showcases their balance of love and fame.

The Silence of My Hands

Directed by Manuel Acuña 

Showtimes:

Friday, Feb. 28 at 1 p.m. at Willy Wilson at Ragtag Cinema.

Saturday, March 1 at 5:45 p.m. in Big Ragtag.

Sunday, March 2 at 6 p.m. in Big Ragtag.

Self-discovery and the importance of communication take center stage in this tender, young LGBTQ+ romance spoken fully in Sign Language. Past and present become one as the audience reminisces on Rosa and Sai’s relationship, hoping the couple perseveres through cross-country long distance.   

Multicultural and multilayered films

Kouté vwa (Listen to the Voices)

Directed by Maxime Jean-Baptiste

Showtimes:

Thursday, Feb. 27 at 4:15 p.m. at Willy Wilson inside Ragtag Cinema.

Friday, Feb. 28 at 4 p.m. in The Globe.

Saturday, March 1 at 9:45 a.m. in Big Ragtag.

Set in the dry summer of French Guiana, “Kouté vwa,” released in 2024, explores the confusing and traumatic experience of losing a loved one at a young age. Together, 13-year-old Melrick and his family search for intergenerational healing as cycles of violence threaten their peace.  

May the Soil Be Everywhere

Directed by Yehui Zhao

Showtimes:

Friday, Feb. 28 at 6:45 p.m. in Big Ragtag.

Saturday, March 1 at 6 p.m. in The Globe.

Sunday, March 2 at 9:15 a.m. at Willy Wilson at Ragtag Cinema.

Released in 2024, “May The Soil Be Everywhere” details the filmmaker’s own search for and discovery of her great-grandfather’s legacy and family heritage in her ancestral village of Loess Plateau, a vast and rural Chinese mountain range, through poetry, animation sequences and theatrical performances. 

Writing Hawa

Directed by Najiba Noori and Rasul Noori

Showtimes:

Friday, Feb. 28 at 1:15 p.m. in The Globe.

Saturday, March 1 at 9:45 p.m. in the Missouri Theatre.

Sunday, March 2 at 12:15 p.m. in  Rhynsburger Theatre.

Filmed over the course of five years and released in 2024, “Writing Hawa” tells the intimate and engrossing story of three generations of Afghan women, including the filmmaker, fighting for their autonomy and navigating a conflict-ridden Afghanistan.  

Environmental advocacy films we’ve never needed more  

River of Grass

Directed by Sasha Wortzel

Showtimes:

Thursday, Feb. 27 at 6:45 p.m. in Rhynsburger Theatre.

Friday, Feb. 28 at 10:45 a.m. in the Missouri Theatre.

Saturday, March 1 at 2:30 p.m. in Willy Wilson at Ragtag Cinema.

“River of Grass,” released in 2025, transports viewers to the breathtaking, absorbing wonderland of the Florida Everglades, as this documentary studies the wetland’s unique flora and fauna and works to instill a sense of passion for conservation in the face of a global climate crisis. 

How Deep Is Your Love 

Directed by Eleanor Mortimer

Showtime:

Friday, Feb. 28 at 7 p.m. in the Missouri Theatre.

Saturday, March 1 at 9:30 a.m. in The Blue Note.

Sunday, March 2 at 5 p.m. in The Globe.

This deep-sea dive into the ocean mysteries that still call to be discovered was released in 2025 and is underscored by the complicated ethics of ocean exploration and the looming threats of underwater mining to what remains of Earth’s delicate aquatic ecosystems. 

Guardian of the Well

Directed by Bentley Brown and Tahir Ben Mahamat

Showtimes:

Friday, Feb. 28 at 11 a.m.-12:21 p.m. in Big Ragtag.

Sunday, March 2 at 6-7:21 p.m. in Rhynsburger Theatre.

“Guardian of the Well” is a short film showing alongside 5 others in the Shorts: Winter Series, a collection of films put together by the Fest that explore emotion and introspection.

The global climate crisis is centered on the country of Chad in this short film that uses immersive sensory techniques to illustrate the severity of Chad’s ongoing drought.  

Films that platform racial justice

How to Build a Library 

Directed by Maia Lekow and Christopher King

Showtimes:

Thursday, Feb. 27 at 4:15 p.m. in The Blue Note.

Saturday, March 1 at 3:30 p.m. in the Missouri Theatre.

 Sunday, March 2 at 3 p.m. in Rhynsburger Theatre.

Two women are forced to confront the dark history of colonization in their country of Kenya as they set out to revive a formerly whites-only library in Nairobi, the capital city of Kenya, into an accessible space for the modern day. Released in 2025, “How to Build a Library” details the complicated decisions behind historical preservation. 

Seeds

Directed by Brittany Shyne

Showtimes:

Thursday, Feb. 27 at 9:30 p.m. in Rhynsburger Theatre.

Friday, Feb. 28 at 6:45 p.m. in The Blue Note.

Sunday, March 2 at 9 a.m. in the Missouri Theatre.

Released in 2025, “Seeds” dives into the complex history of Black land ownership in the U.S. South. This film utilizes black-and-white videography to illustrate the depth of generational investment in farming practices and the ignorance of the U.S. government.

Hold Me Close

Directed by Aurora Brachman and LaTajh Simmons-Weaver

Showtimes:

Thursday, Feb. 27 at 4:45 p.m. in Big Ragtag.

Saturday, March 1 at 9:30 a.m. in The Globe.

“Hold Me Close” is part of True/False’s Shorts: Spring Series, which means it will be shown along with 3 other films just as tender and sweet. As described by this short film’s directors, “we’re invited into the shared space of queer Black love in ‘Hold Me Close’” through an intimate display of their day-to-day life.    

Media and the press

Middletown

Directed by Jesse Moss and Amanda McBaine

Showtimes:

Friday, Feb. 28 at 6:45 p.m. in The Globe.

Saturday, March 1 at 9:15 a.m. in the Missouri Theatre.

Sunday, March 2 at 7 p.m. in the Missouri Theatre.

“Middletown,” released in 2025, is an energetic and enthralling film that revolves around a true story. A high school class turns an assignment about a local landfill into an exposé on public health and corruption, underscored by the importance of empowering students to create and discover their own journalism.

Razeh-Del

Directed by Maryam Tafakory

Showtimes:

Friday, Feb. 28 at 11 a.m. in Big Ragtag.

Sunday, March 2 at 6 p.m. in Rhynsburger Theatre.

“Razeh-Del” is a short film showing alongside five others in the Short: Winter Series, a collection of films put together by the Fest that explore emotion and introspection. Discover the origins of Iran’s first women’s newspaper and the power of community in this short film released in 2024.

WTO/99

Directed by Ian Bell

Showtimes:

Friday, Feb. 28 at 7 p.m. in Rhynsburger Theatre.

Saturday, March 1 at 12:15 p.m. in The Globe.

Sunday, March 2 at 8:45 p.m. in The Blue Note.

“WTO/99” is a completely archival film consisting of on and off air clips from media organizations and citizen journalists’ tapes that showcases the 1999 World Trade Organization protests that took place in Seattle, Washington. The footage in this film still bears relevance in 2025 as civilian protestors chant about corporate control and environmental conservation.  

As you enjoy the True/False Film Fest this year, allow the diverse and forward thinking creations to help you find community, relatability and solace in the idea that art will always exist as an avenue of expression and catharsis for viewers and creators alike.

Edited by Ava McCluer | amccluer@themaneater.com 

Copy edited by Emma Short | eshort@themaneater.com

Edited by Emily Skidmore |eskidmore@themaneater.com