EXCLUSIVE: Filmmaker, curator, and critic Farihah Zaman has been appointed the new artistic director of True/False, the highly respected documentary film festival in Columbia, MO.
The announcement was made Friday by the Ragtag Film Society, the nonprofit that puts on the festival, which holds its 23rd annual edition March 5-8. Zaman succeeds Oscar-nominated filmmaker Yance Ford (Strong Island, Power), who serves as Visiting Artistic Director for True/False 2026 after the departure of previous artistic director Chloé Trayner.
In recent years, Zaman (she/they) served as the production manager at Field of Vision, as well as Director of Grants and Fellowships at Brown Girls Doc Mafia, “where they developed and led the Sustainable Artist and Black Directors fellowships that continue to be cornerstones of the organization’s programming today,” according to a release.
“Working with RFS Executive Director Andrea Luque Káram, Zaman will lead the creative teams of the Fest, including the film, art, and music programs, as well as artist development programs like the Confluence Fellowship which launched in 2023 to provide support and resources to Midwestern filmmakers on the cusp of completing a film,” the release states.
“I see in Farihah a leader who is passionate about pushing curatorial boundaries with the utmost sensitivity to the different groups her work serves,” Luque Káram said in a statement. “I can’t wait to see all participants of our Fest—from the local to the global—witness their artistic vision.”
Zaman commented, “The creative, social, and political ethos of True/False has shaped how I think about art and community building since I first attended in 2012. I believe the importance of cultural institutions, particularly in times of upheaval, cannot be overstated. True/False remains so vibrant and vital because it evolves to meet the moment, year after year, while also staying true to – and in fact drawing strength from – its distinct local identity.”
Added David Wilson, co-founder and RFS board member, “Beyond all of her experience and curatorial acumen, Farihah understands the DNA of True/False, of what makes this fest singular, in a profound way. I couldn’t be more excited to see where she takes things.”
Zaman takes over a cinematic institution that unspools in the college town of Columbia, home of the University of Missouri. For the four days of the festival, True/False turns Columbia into “a one-of-a-kind utopia,” the festival says on its website. “The transformative, rambunctious, ecstatic experience of T/F creates a cathartic journey that invites participants to do nothing less than to re-imagine reality.”
As we reported earlier this month, the 23rd True/False will unveil 21 world premieres, three U.S. premieres, and four North American premieres. Overall, 62 features and shorts have been selected for the program, chosen from about 1,500 submissions around the world. Ford, overseeing the event as Visiting Artistic Director, hailed the appointed of the new artistic director.
“Farihah Zaman is stepping into this role at a critical moment, and I’m thrilled that Ragtag Film Society has made such an outstanding choice,” Ford said. “Farihah brings a clear point of view, deep experience across curation and artist support, and an understanding of the Midwest as a place with its own cultural force. She’s a builder, and I’m excited to see what she grows from here.”
Zaman is a “queer Bangladeshi-American filmmaker, critic, educator, and curator whose award-winning work has screened at Sundance, TIFF, NYFF, Tribeca, MoMA, SXSW, and more,” notes a bio. “Her first feature, Remote Area Medical, was followed by This Time Next Year, then doc-fiction hybrid Feast of the Epiphany, and several shorts (Kombit, Nobody Loves Me, American Carnage, To Be Queen of the Emmy Nominated NYT Op-Doc series From Here to Home, and Jericho Walk). She produced the Sundance award-winning Netflix Original Ghosts of Sugar Land, which was shortlisted for an Academy Award.
“Zaman has written for Reverse Shot, Film Comment, Elle, and Huffington Post, among others, and her industry experience includes roles at Magnolia Pictures, IFP, The Flaherty Seminar, and the Laura Poitras-founded company Field of Vision.”
For the full lineup of the 2026 edition of True/False, click here.
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