Gimme Truth! A "documentary" film competition for Missourians

From the multilingual Jim the Wonder Dog to the mysterious exotica icon Korla Pandit, Missouri boasts a rich history of fascinating characters. But there's dishonesty mixed in with our eccentricity; Missouri was, after all, home to world-famous outlaw Jesse James. With our annual Gimme Truth! competition, True/False asks Show Me State residents to create a two-minute portrait of a Missourian that is 100% true or 100% false. All submitted entries will be viewed by a panel of local judges, and our ten favorites will be invited to participate in a game show to take place the night of Feb. 27 in downtown Columbia, MO.

The screening of the Gimme Truth! films will be in the form of a '60s-era TV game show a la "What's My Line" or "Truth or Consequences." Contestants in the game show will be visiting documentary filmmakers from around the world. As the shorts screen, they will compete against each other guessing which videos are true and which ones are false. As they do this, they will also serve as judges, picking their favorites from among the ten finalists. Prizes will be awarded to the ten finalists. Additionally, the top three films will receive cash and in-kind prize packages, with no less than $500 in combined cash and prizes for first prize.

Contest Information

The Gimme Truth! filmmaking competition is open to all Missouri residents. The guidelines are as follows:

• Entries must be two minutes or less in length.
• Entries must be portraits of individuals (real or fictional).
• Entries must be 100% true or 100% false.
• Entries can be shot in any format, but should be submitted on MiniDV.
• The director must be living in MO and must be present at the event.
• $15 fee for each entry. There is no limit on the number of entries per person.
• Entries must arrive at True/False no later than Fri., Feb. 12 at 5pm. Mailing address: True/False, 5 S. Ninth St. #205, Columbia, MO 65201.
• Entries will be judged on their execution, creativity, and most of all, how well they fool the judges. To this end, we encourage entries that boggle the mind and introduce us to totally real Missouri characters that are clearly stranger than fiction. However, we don't want to promote the idea that false videos should be as boring and banal as possible. False entries should also strive to be exciting and interesting.

For more info please email gimmetruth@truefalse.org or call (573)874-1039.

• Gimme Truth! entry form (PDF)