As the outside world remained bitterly cold, showgoers slowly gathered at Amherst College’s Marsh Arts House at 6:30 p.m. for a show that mixed elements of shoegaze, grunge and classic punk. Over the next hour, the space became increasingly crowded, with attendees perusing merchandise for bands Tributary and Blandest, including Ruby Thompson’s “Unrequited Fanzine.”
At first, Amherst College’s Stirn Auditorium — this year’s location of the 2020 Five College Film Festival — was almost empty, save for a few students chatting about last-minute preparations. The only indication I was in the right place were the programs on the front table and the festival flyer on the auditorium projection screen. But soon, people started pouring in, filling the air with a sense of artistic pretentiousness and a kind of off-beat humor that only 200 film students could produce.
