Those friends and family are from Philly, a town that, according to Philadelphia Inquirer's Steven Rea, is currently enjoying "a Phillywood moment." (Other Penn state pictures screening at this year's SXSW include Explicit Ills, the directorial debut from actor Mark Webber [The Hottest State], and In a Dream, Jeremiah Zagar's compelling doc about public art.) Quinn is part of a small but national movement of indie filmmakers who are sidestepping LA/NYC migrations and staying home to produce regionally based, regionally informed, regionally inspired works.
To that end, The New Year Parade –an IFP Narrative Rough Cut Lab participant – is a portrait of divorce pains framed against Philadelphia's Mummers Parade, a colorful, annual extravaganza that celebrates Philly culture. Rather than treating divorce as a backstory into which the audience must fill in the blanks, "we were interested in looking at those blanks and making that the story," he says. Utilizing a blend of actors and nonactors, documentary and fiction, moments both mundane and intense, Quinn offers an unsentimental meditation on the emotional wounds of domestic turmoil and familial unrest and a real rumination on human nature.
The New Year Parade
Narrative Feature, Emerging Visions, Regional PremiereSunday, March 9, 7:30pm, Dobie
Wednesday, March 12, 4pm, Dobie
