Bringing it Home
Last week, THE NEW YEAR PARADE finally screened in Philadelphia. In the weeks before the festival, we had decided to not tell anyone. In fact, when family and friends called, we told them not to go. It sounds ridiculous, but there are 1500 Mummers in Philadelphia, many more fan, and a good deal of family, and they would all be coming to the Saturday show. We were afraid that if we advertised, most people would not get in and go home frustrated.
Still, we had an incredible sold out show on Saturday! The theater was kind enough to add 75 more folding chairs to accomadate as many as possible. It was a mix of family and friends, Mummer’s, and strangers. Afterward, we had a great Q&A with a good deal of cast and crew, including some of the South Philadelphia String Band. After months of answering audience questions about the band and their tradition, it was cool to have “Hollywood” Nick, Carl, Wardy, and Jay at the mic with us. After the Q&A, I was approached by a family counselor who told me we “hit the mark.”
On Monday, Marc, Beth, Jenny, and I went to the Prince for the follow up showing. Earlier that day, the Philadelphia Inquirer ran a great review and while introducing the film on stage it was announced we’d won BEST INDIE FEATURE in the festival! We are very excited and feel fortunate to have played 4 fests and won 3 awards!
Last night, producer Steve Beal and I had a long conversation weighing our distribution options. We’re very excited about the prospect of self-releasing in Philadelphia and using that regional support to launch a national tour of the film. We’ve been playing the film for a wide variety of audiences over the past few months - senior citizens, indie rockers, folks from the UK, LA, NY, Philly, parents who’ve divorced, children of divorce, and some who never experienced divorce first hand. Across the board audiences respond to the characters, their struggle to be a family, and the unique sense of tradition that Mummery brings. We’re now looking for the best way to channel this excitement and momentum. Stay tuned….
Also, the Spring issue of MovieMaker Magazine hit bookstores this week. They were kind enough to include me on their “Ten Young Writer-Directors to Watch” list. I bought my folks five copies. : ) The list also includes the Duplass Brothers, Sarah Polley, and Craig Zobel so grab a copy for your folks as well!
I head to IFFBoston on Friday. Hope to see you there!
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Nice! Great press