Five on Film Series: Nomadland
Mount Holyoke College President Danielle R. Holley provided an introduction for a showing of “Nomadland,” directed by Chloé Zhao ’05, at Amherst Cinema. The event, part of a series called “Five on Film,” highlights alums of the Five College Consortium.
Once a week during October, the Amherst Cinema will host “Five on Film,” a screening of a film written by, directed by or starring a graduate from one of the Five College Consortium members. On Thursday, October 10, Mount Holyoke College presented a screening of the Academy Award–winning film “Nomadland,” directed by Chloé Zhao ’05. The movie is based on the book “Nomadland,” written by Amherst College alum Jessica Bruder ’00. The screening, attended by faculty, staff and students of Mount Holyoke, along with members of the public, opened with an introduction from President and Professor of Politics Danielle R. Holley.
“We love the arts at Mount Holyoke.” Holley said, “We have an incredible Film Media Theater department, and our award-winning faculty specialize in everything from African theater and performance to new trans cinema. When I was asked to pick tonight’s film, it was very clear to me what I would pick.”
Holley told the audience that Zhao’s major might surprise them. “Chloé was a politics major, and I teach in the politics department in Mount Holyoke, and she had a minor in film.”
Zhao’s first film was the student production “Chance,” which took home the top prize at the 2004 Five College Film Festival. With “Nomadland,” Zhao became the second woman in Academy Award history to win the Oscar for Best Director and the first woman of color to ever win that distinction. She is also one of the first women to direct a Marvel movie, and she is part of a small group of people to feature in a syllabus of a class they previously took.
President Holley also highlighted some of the many Mount Holyoke College alums that have made an impact in the entertainment industry.
“Mount Holyoke is the alma mater of a number of entertainment industry notables.” Holley said, “The first woman to ever win an Oscar as a producer, Julia Phillips is the class of 1965. She produced hits like ‘The Sting,’ ‘Taxi Driver’ and ‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind.’ Three-time Tony-winning and three-time Emmy-nominated producer Debra Martin Chase is class of 1977, and she’s the first black woman to produce a film that grossed over $100 million. Debra also just produced the Tony Award–winning musical from this year, ‘The Outsiders,’ which is not her first Tony, and I expect that it won’t be her last.”
For students in the crowd, attending a film directed by a Mount Holyoke College alum was inspiring. Such was the case for film major Kate Markowski ’27 of Wilbraham, Massachusetts.
“It’s super exciting to see someone who was interested in film make it so far as to get an Oscar.” Markowski said, “It makes me more hopeful for my future that I can go out and do something special and successful like that.”
The “Five on Film” series continues Wednesday, October 16, with a showing of “Armageddon,” sponsored by University of Massachusetts Amherst.
