Chris Parrish Visits Lander for Charity Screening of “Thrill Ride”
By: Joey Plyler
Director and screenwriter Chris Parrish will be visiting Lander on Friday, April 21, for the screening of his film, Thrill Ride, which will start at 6 p.m. in the Barret Hall auditorium. Admission is $10, and all proceeds will go to the Mason Parrish Foundation.
Thrill Ride follows the story of a young boy named Henry, who, along with his sister and best friend, tries to find the lost treasure of gangster Al Capone, rumored to be hidden in the soon-to-be closed amusement park, Happyland. When a magic spell brings the park’s attractions to life, Henry and his friends must solve the mystery surrounding the park and a find a way to escape.
The film is Parrish’s way of keeping a promise to his son, Mason Parrish, who died of Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma (D.I.P.G) in August of 2011. “Mason was,” Parrish said, “the most naturally gifted storyteller I’ve ever known. He absolutely loved telling stories and jokes. Most fathers and sons play catch. Mason and my version of catch was tossing jokes and stories around to see who could come up with the funniest punchline or story twist. And Mason usually won.”
A year before Mason was diagnosed with D.I.P.G., he pitched the story to his dad, who in turn pitched it to producers Los Angeles. They liked the concept, but the idea went unpublished. After Mason’s death, though, Parrish and his wife, Ilisa, wanted to take action. Parrish said, “We decided to pitch the idea of making Mason’s movie a reality and having the profits go toward finding a cure for D.I.P.G. and also using the movie’s profits to rent wheelchair accessible vans so kids fighting D.I.P.G. can live at home while going through radiation treatments and occupational therapy like Mason did.”
Parrish brought the idea to Vince Foglia, a philanthropist from the Chicago area. According to Parrish, “Vince loved the idea of making a movie for charity and backed us all the way.” The film began production in December of 2013, continuing in November of 2014 with Foglia’s contribution, and was released in August of 2016.
All of the money raised at the Lander charity screening of Thrill Ride will go directly to the Mason Parrish Foundation. It is 100% tax deductible, as are any donations made out to:
THE MASON PARRISH FOUNDATION
720 South Eastwood Drive
P.O. Box #103
Woodstock, IL 60098
To learn more, please go to:
www.themasonparrishfoundation.org
To order advanced tickets for the Lander Film Festival screening of Thrill Ride go to www.landerfilmfestival.com
To order advanced tickets for the Lander Film Festival screening of Thrill Ride go to www.landerfilmfestival.com
