Five College Filmmakers, Five Weeks, Five Films
Each week in October, Amherst Cinema will celebrate a film written, directed by, or starring a graduate from the Five College Consortium.
The finale of the series “Five on Film” will take place on Monday, October 28, when Hampshire President Ed Wingenbach will introduce A Serious Man, starring alum and actor Fred Melamed 74F. In the film, set in 1960s suburban Minnesota, physics professor Larry Gopnik learns that his wife is leaving him for his best friend, Sy Abelman. Thus begins a downward spiral of existential proportions, leading Larry on a journey of faith, family, delinquent behavior, and mortality.
Earlier in the month, the Cinema will screen films with significant contributions from the other four colleges in the Consortium:
On Tuesday, October 1, visitors can view The Incredibly True Adventure of Two Girls in Love, written by Smith College alum Maria Maggenti and introduced by Smith President Sarah Willie-LeBreton. Touching and poignant, this acclaimed coming-of-age comedy, an iconic part of the 1990s queer cinema canon, tells the story of two teenagers whose unexpected friendship grows into the joyful wildness of first love.
Nomadland, the film by Mount Holyoke alum Chloé Zhao which received Oscars for Best Picture, Best Director, and Actress in a Leading Role, will screen Thursday, October 10, with an introduction from Mount Holyoke President Danielle R. Holley. The award-winning film stars Frances McDormand as Fern, who, after losing everything in the Great Recession, embarks on a journey through the American West, living as a van-dwelling modern-day nomad.
Dean of the College of Humanities and Fine Arts at UMass Amherst Maria del Guadalupe Davidson will introduce Armageddon on Wednesday, October 16, co-written by graduate Jonathan Hensleigh. Bruce Willis and an all-star cast of roughneck oil drillers blast off on a mission to save the planet in this disaster epic.
On Monday, October 21, A Mighty Wind, starring Amherst College graduate John Michael Higgins, will be introduced by Amherst President Michael Elliot. In this side-splitting mockumentary from Christopher Guest, three never-quite-famous folk bands come together for the first time in decades following the death of their manager. As a reunion concert approaches, apprehension sets in, romances are rekindled, and ambitions are permanently deferred.
Guests wearing college apparel for “Five on Film” showings will receive a discount on tickets purchased at the box office.
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