COVID-19, nice weather blamed for drop in True False attendance

COLUMBIA, Mo (KMIZ)

True False Film Festival is reporting a drop in attendance numbers since the 2019 festival.

Camellia Cosgray, director of the True False Film Fest, says that more than 46,600 seats were filled during the weekend. That's down from last year's total of about 50,000.

"We attribute the decrease primarily to fears about COVID-19, though we
believe the beautiful weather impacted us as well," Cosgray wrote in an email Tuesday.

She said people are less likely to go the the movies when it is nice out.

According to Cosgray, the number of seats filled does not represent the number of people who attended True False. The number of people estimated to have attended the festival is around 14,000 to 15,000.

"Overall, though, the Fest was a great success!" Cosgray wrote. "Our audiences and guests were very happy with their experience, and everything ran smoothly. I'm so proud of what we accomplished and what we are able to bring to our community year after year."

Cosgray said officials with the fest anticipate returning to the norm of about 50,000 seats filled in 2021.