{"id":1321,"date":"2026-06-04T10:07:29","date_gmt":"2026-06-04T10:07:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/?p=1321"},"modified":"2026-06-04T10:07:29","modified_gmt":"2026-06-04T10:07:29","slug":"neons-tom-quinn-hails-obsession-and-backrooms-i-dont-see-this-as-youtube-or-otherwise-i-see-this-as-cinema","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/?p=1321","title":{"rendered":"Neon\u2019s Tom Quinn Hails \u2018Obsession\u2019 and \u2018Backrooms\u2019: \u2018I Don\u2019t See This as YouTube or Otherwise, I See This as Cinema\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\nTom Quinn landed in the U.K. for a special talk at SXSW London less than two weeks after Neon claimed its seventh consecutive Palme d\u2019Or in Cannes, this time thanks to Cristian Mungiu\u2019s \u201cFjord.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more Tony Dokoupil Honors Scott Pelley After \u201960 Minutes\u2019 Firing: \u2018A Journalist Who Valued Truth at All Costs\u2019<\/a><\/p>\n

\n\tThe exec \u2014\u00a0whose indie distributor marks only its 10th birthday next year \u2014\u00a0said the ongoing run of wins was \u201cextraordinary,\u201d but claimed that in each Cannes he had never known whether his films would emerge victorious. And this went all the way back to Neon\u2019s first Palme, Bong Joon Ho\u2019s \u201cParasite.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cI had no idea that \u2018Parasite\u2019 was going to win,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n

\n\tBut that win in Cannes changed everything, Quinn noted. <\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cIt all began with \u2018Parasite,\u2019 breaking down 92 years of Oscar history, the first foreign language film, grossing $54 million in the U.S., becoming this huge sensation\u2026 it was probably the first foreign language film that a whole host of teenagers saw.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tEvery subsequent film Neon won the Palme for he described as a \u201cbanger.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tQuinn\u2019s talk also coincided with the current success of \u201cObsession\u201d and \u201cBackrooms,\u201d two films from YouTube creators that have smashed box office records and turned the industry on its head in just a matter of weeks. <\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cI think it\u2019s good to be an independent,\u201d was Quinn\u2019s immediate response when asked about the phenomenon. But he was quick to assert that the industry shouldn\u2019t \u201cdismiss\u201d Kane Parsons or Curry Barker as YouTube creators. <\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cI don\u2019t see it as YouTube or otherwise, I see it as cinema,\u201d he said. \u201cAnd the fact that it\u2019s appealing to a much younger audience \u2014 Gen Z is the most over indexing theatrical audience \u2014\u00a0for me, is incredible.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tQuinn also revealed that he was an \u201caction snob,\u201d and that his first ever acquisition when he started at Magnolia was the Thai martial arts film \u201cOng-Bak,\u201d for which he brought director and star Tony Jaa to the U.S. to perform stunts at NBA games. <\/p>\n

Read more Boots Riley Guesses Martin Scorsese Got \u2018A Gang of Money\u2019 for AI Partnership and \u2018Doesn\u2019t Give a F\u2014\u2018<\/a><\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cSo I\u2019m looking to recreate that at Neon,\u201d he said. \u201cWhat is the Neon version of an action film? I would say George Miller. I can\u2019t wait to do our character driven, world building, genre-defying action film.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tAsked if there was an action film in the works, Quinn said there was. <\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cAnd you won\u2019t know where it\u2019s coming from.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tSome way removed from genre-defying action, Quinn also noted he was a \u201cfirm believer in the power of nonfiction\u201d who had defied each and every declaration that docs were dead. <\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cThe minute that everybody stopped buying documentaries as theatrically viable films was the year that I bought \u2018Man on Wire\u2019 and won an Academy Award. It was a huge success,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\n\tGiving the crowd in London some local news, Quinn revealed that Neon had bought the latest chapter in the U.K.\u2019s acclaimed \u201c7 Up\u201d documentary series, this time being directed by Asif Kapadia following the passing of Michael Apted. <\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cIt\u2019s one of my favorite film series and pieces of IP of all time,\u201d he said.\u201dIt\u2019s beautiful. I defy you not to see this incredible film. It reminds me of driving around the streets here this morning.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more M-Appeal Seals Cannes Deals on \u2018Downtown,\u2019 \u2018The Garden We Dreamed,\u2019 \u2018Truly Naked\u2019 (EXCLUSIVE)<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Tom Quinn spoke at SXSW London about Neon’s run of 7 Palme d’Or wins, his love of action films and the success of Backrooms and Obsession<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1320,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[977,978],"class_list":["post-1321","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-film","tag-sxsw-london","tag-tom-quinn"],"yoast_head":"\nNeon\u2019s Tom Quinn Hails \u2018Obsession\u2019 and \u2018Backrooms\u2019: \u2018I Don\u2019t See This as YouTube or Otherwise, I See This as Cinema\u2019 - Relocation Observer<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/?p=1321\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Neon\u2019s Tom Quinn Hails \u2018Obsession\u2019 and \u2018Backrooms\u2019: \u2018I Don\u2019t See This as YouTube or Otherwise, I See This as Cinema\u2019 - 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