La Salle Grad’s Acclaimed Film Set Against Mummer’s Parade to Play at Ambler Theatre on March 26

Tom Quinn, a 1998 La Salle graduate, will have his film, New Year Parade, showing at the Ambler Theatre in Ambler, Pa., on March 26 at 7 p.m. The movie is set against the backdrop of the Mummers’ New Year Parade and took Quinn nearly three years to make.

According to Quinn, the film has received eight top prizes at film festivals, including the Slamdance Festival. It was shown last year at the Philly Film Festival.

The story follows two South Philadelphia siblings through the first year of their parents' divorce.  Quinn said the movie, "would not have been possible without the tireless support of the Mummers themselves, especially The South Philadelphia String Band, who gave us access to their club, costumes, and rehearsals for nearly three years!”

Five years ago, Quinn began videotaping interviews with his close friends discussing their parents’ divorces (some of which took place 20 years prior), their memories of the break, and the hold it still had on them. Many of these friends shared common experiences and fears –some using the exact same phrases to describe situations – but had never discussed them before, much less with each other. Even more troubling, many had found themselves making the same mistakes their parents had despite lifelong fears of doing so.

These interviews became the foundation of The New Year Parade. The fictional characters of Kat and Jack McMonogul would allow Quinn to explore the small moments so many of his friends had shared, with hopes of creating further dialogue and discussion about divorce’s effect on young people. Because the emphasis would be on quiet observation, Quinn searched for another component to give it structure, which he found in Philadelphia’s “Mummery.”

A native of Churchville, Pa., Quinn entered La Salle as an English major but movies had been a big part of his life:

“I had always been interested in making films and started doing short projects with friends in second grade, but by the time I was 19 or so I was worried that kind of career path was not  realistic,” said Quinn. “I had some friends who started taking film classes at a community college. After talking to Brother Gerry Molyneaux (a La Salle Communication professor), I decided to double major in Communication, specifically Mass Media, and English, focusing on writing.  Although I wasn't always aware of it at the time, I grew up quite a bit thanks to the investment of the professors and staff in the Communication department. At a larger school I would have been one of those kids lost in the crowd.  By the time I graduated, I had renewed focus and experience.”

While at La Salle, Quinn made several short movies and won the Communication Department’s “Charlie Award” for best student film.