The second annual Geist-Yancey Lecture on the arts will take place on the Central Methodist University campus on March 6, with filmmaker Nathan Truesdell slated as the featured speaker. Truesdell’s talk, “How I Learned to Make Movies,” will be held at 7 p.m. in Inman Lecture Hall (Stedman 200).

Truesdell is a multi-hyphenate filmmaker from Clark, Mo., in nearby Randolph County, who has been nominated for an Academy Award, a PGA Award, an IDA Award, was selected for the inaugural “DOC NYC 40 Under 40” list, and won a Cinema Eye Honor for Cinematography.

His directorial work includes the award-winning Balloonfest, The Water Slide, The Art of Making Money, It’s Coming!, and When the LAPD Blows Up Your Neighborhood. He was the camera department head for the HBO series How To with John Wilson. He produced and was co-director of photography for the Tribeca winner and Oscar nominee Ascension (2021) and produced documentaries such as We Always Lie to Strangers, Caucus, Convention, and Peace in the Valley and co-produced The Gospel of Eureka. He was a cinematographer on Dope is Death, Deprogrammed, and was a cinematographer and editor on Killing Them Safely. He also served as art director for the narrative film You’re Next.

Truesdell graduated from Moberly High School in 1997 and later from the University of Missouri.

In advance of his lecture at Central Methodist, Truesdell took time to speak to the Advertiser about his career in the film industry, which began right here in Mid-Missouri. After earning a degree in computer science from Mizzou, he quickly decided to make a career change. He had already made short films and videos in high school and throughout college and knew several people in Columbia who were making films.

“Within Columbia, there’s an interesting little cult scene that still exists,” he explained. “And I didn’t realize at the time that I had so many friends that were like, ‘I’m going to make documentaries after college.’ And I was like, ‘I think I am, too.’ And it just slowly progressed from there.”

This was a time before the internationally famous True/False Film Festival, which features documentaries, began in Columbia.

“There were some little movie groups and people getting together and making stuff,” Truesdell explained. “The journalism school is there. It feels like it’s just kind of been in the water there.”

Stephens College also has a film department, and Truesdell has taught there. When he returns to Mid-Missouri this week for the CMU lecture, he plans to take in films at the True/False Film Festival, which is taking place in Columbia this weekend.

A significant degree of local talent made the horror film, You’re Next, in Columbia. The film’s writer, Simon Barrett, is a Columbia native. Before that, he wrote A Horrible Way to Die, which was directed by Adam Wingard and shot in Columbia. The two collaborated again on You’re Next, featuring genre royalty such as Barbara Campton, Larry Fessenden, AJ Bowen, and Ti West in a rare acting role for the lauded director. Truesdell was a part of the film’s production and is credited as Art Director. He said his duties were mainly in the props department.

“They hired a ton of us local folks in Columbia, which were a lot of my friends at the time and a lot of people who were making movies,” Truesdell recalled. 

Much of the film’s crew still work together, including Wingard, who went on to direct the major studio film, Godzilla vs. Kong, released in 2021.

“Adam had a pretty meteoric rise out of Columbia,” Truesdell said.

While many of those involved with You’re Next have moved on to big Hollywood productions, Truesdell has made a splash in the documentary world. After wrapping in the film in 2010, he moved to Los Angeles, where he continues to make his home. 

His films have appeared at numerous festivals, including Sundance, Tribeca, SXSW, TIFF, and the True/False Film Fest in Columbia.

Prior to his lecture on March 6, he will show his documentary film, Ascension, to a group of CMU students. The film explores the pursuit of what is called the “Chinese Dream.”

“From an artistic point of view, there are way fewer people involved,” Truesdell said about making documentaries rather than large studio pictures. “It really narrows the focus from an artistic perspective of who’s making the movie.”

He also sees the benefits of being involved with every aspect of production, from shooting to editing to sound design. “I like to do all these things,” Truesdell said. 

He also embraces the adventure aspect of traveling around the world and learning about different places and people. 

“It’s a privilege to be able to do it, that’s for sure,” he said.

While some commissioned documentaries from media giants such as Netflix may have a narrative in mind before they’re made, Truesdell says his films are a learning process from start to finish. “A lot of times, you’ll go with a plan of what you think you’re going to capture, and it just is something completely different. I think you kind of plan; you have ideas of what it is that you want, but reality is always a little different than that.”

Truesdell says he is naturally curious about the world and is an avid reader. And that helps him choose what topics make it into his films. The film, Ascension, took him all over the country of China. He and his wife, director Jessica Kingdon, are planning to make another film in China centered on the global food supply. He will produce while she directs.

For his lecture on March 6, Truesdell plans to mainly tell stories from his career. “I have some good stories that, like me, as somebody from Mid-Missouri, I have always been surprised and blown away by things that have happened in my life.”

About the lecture series

Dr. Joe Geist was a faculty member at Central Methodist College from 1972 to 1998 and was named Professor Emeritus upon his retirement from teaching. He served as curator of the Ashby-Hodge Gallery of American Art from 1998 to 2014 and now serves as its registrar. His professional life has been dedicated to the furthering of the liberal arts, culture, literature, and learning.

Mr. Tom Yancey, a 1954 alumnus of Central, joined the faculty at the Swinney Conservatory in 1958. In 1972, he served as the Conservatory’s dean, and in 1995 he accepted Professor Emeritus status. In addition to being an accomplished musician, Yancey was a well-known artist. He, along with Geist, was a co-founder of the Ashby-Hodge Gallery of American Art and was curator of the Gallery from 1993 until 1998. Yancey passed away in 2019.

The purpose of the Geist-Yancey lectureship is to provide a lasting legacy of Joe’s and Tom’s endless pursuit of the furthering of the pillars of arts, culture, and learning in higher education. The lectures have a theme of cultural affairs, and the speaker is a noted/national individual from outside the CMU community.

For those unable to attend in person, the lecture will be live-streamed at the following link: https://centralmethodist.zoom.us/j/93841989883.