While all passes and Gateway Packets are sold out (except for a few Silver Circles), you can still get into that hot doc if you've got the right stuff. Here's what you need to know to navigate the fest without a pass:
So what's this NRT business?
T/F screenings never "sell out," they go NRT — No Reserved Tickets — which means that all the tickets set aside for passholders and Gateway Packets for that film have been claimed. They're not all gone, though. A percentage of seats are saved for people from the Q. Have faith in the Q, is the T/F motto (more on this later).
If a show does not go NRT during the passholder filmgrab, the remaining allotment will be released as individual tickets at 9am on Thursday, March 4. Take a look at the schedule to see what's currently available.
The box office is doing things a little differently this year on Thursday. They will hand out queue numbers to the awaiting masses starting at 8:30am. At 9am the doors will open for the first 50 people. Every 30 minutes or so, another group will be admitted. This means you need to arrive sometime before 8:30 to catch your tickets. When that is depends on how bad you want 'em — or how nice your boss is.
The True/False box office is on the corner of Hitt & Broadway, just down the street from Ragtag. If you came last year, you know the space.
So, you've been talking about this "Q" thing. Explain.
Q is a fun way of spelling "queue," which, of course, is British for "line."
The Q is the line you wait in for a film if you don't have a ticket. Here's how you get into that line:
1. Pick a movie. A lot of movies play at different venues. Pick one in the largest venue for maximum Q-age (Missouri Theatre, The Blue Note, Cornell Hall, The Picturehouse).
2. Show up at least an hour before showtime and look for someone with exuberant attire. That will be the Queen. Queens are walking, talking encyclopedias of fest knowledge. They also hand out the Q numbers. Ask for one (you can only have one). They'll only release Q numbers one hour before the movie, so don't bother begging. Note: you will encounter queues for Q numbers at some venues. And, yes, sometimes the Queen hands out all the Q numbers very quickly at that hour mark.
3. Once you have your number, go find a bathroom, get something to eat, take a power nap and come back 15 minutes before showtime to claim your place in line (if you come back after your number is called, you'll go to the end of the line). If you have number 43, look for 42 and stand behind her. Then start praying that they call your number. When your number is called, you will then pay for your ticket (cash only) and begin the search for an empty seat (the ushers will help). Enjoy the movie!
I mentioned earlier that there are a number of seats saved for Qers at each venue. This ranges from around 11 in the Willy Wilson Theater at Ragtag (the small one, a/k/a Little Ragtag) to well over a hundred at the larger venues (The Blue Note, the MO Theatre). Also keep in mind that not every passholder with a ticket will show. My partner just reserved 17 tickets. Is she gonna see 17 films? Maybe ... but probably not. Girl's gotta eat sometime. And when you throw secret, raging parties into the mix, plus daylight saving time (DST), yeah, those 9:30am screenings on Sunday start looking pretty easy to get into from the Q.
Check out the True/False website for more helpful tips, ask us questions at [email protected], and have a safe, wonderful fest!
Box office hours:
