Mayor

Directed by David Osit
Film Movement
2020
89 Minutes
USA, United Kingdom
English, Arabic
Documentary
Middle Eastern Studies, Biography, Islamic Studies, Government, Politics
Not Rated
DVD $29.95
Buy DVD
PPR $200.00
Buy PPR+DVD
DRL $499.00
Buy DRL+DVD
PPR+DRL $599.00
Buy PPR+DRL+DVD
Educational streaming also available via:
In-home viewers shop here.
Shop Home Video

To submit an order, request a preview screener, or ask a question contact Erin Farrell

MAYOR is a real-life political saga following Musa Hadid, the Christian mayor of Ramallah, during his second term in office. His immediate goals: repave the sidewalks, attract more tourism, and plan the city's Christmas celebrations. His ultimate mission: to end the occupation of Palestine. Rich with detailed observation and a surprising amount of humor, MAYOR offers a portrait of dignity amidst the madness and absurdity of endless occupation while posing a question: how do you run a city when you don't have a country?

Director David Osit is available for discussions and Q&As upon request.

"Highly recommended. Mayor would be well-suited for courses in international affairs, local governance, and Middle Eastern studies. It could even be used in psychology classes to discuss historical trauma. It is an observational film where you come to your own conclusions and people would benefit by seeing what they go through every day." - EMRO

Cast

  • Musa Hadid
DVD Features

Commentary by Director David Osit
Deleted Scenes

Discs: 1

  • Highest Rating
    "The best new film about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is a dark comedy about Ramallah’s Mayor... offers a striking new perspective on that struggle, with a personal on-the-ground quality matched by grand tonal ambitions that makes it the best of its subgenre. "
    Eric Kohn, Indiewire
  • Highest Rating
    "Impressive. Engrossing. MAYOR is a study in politics both micro and macro, showing what happens when the two come fatefully crashing together."
    Jordan Mintzer, The Hollywood Reporter
  • Highest Rating
    "Astonishing. Gripping and surprisingly witty... Osit brings a respectful approach that admirably never registers as observations of a patronizing Westerner."
    Tomris Laffly, Variety
  • Highest Rating
    "CRITIC'S PICK. Surprisingly funny. Hadid comes across as a cleareyed, forthright leader. But Mayor also stands out because Osit has thought it through in cinematic terms."
    Ben Kenigsberg, The New York Times
  • Highest Rating
    "MAYOR is an astounding and enthralling film... filled with a delicate blend of dark humour and unflinching honesty."
    Courtney Small, Cinema Axis
  • Highest Rating
    "... one of my favorites of the year, hands-down — was David Osit’s hilarious and moving documentary Mayor."
    Alissa Wilkinson, Vox
  • Highest Rating
    "Subtly electrifying... deeply affecting. A movie full of vitalising, delicate observations."
    Robert Greene, Sight & Sound
  • Highest Rating
    "Brilliant. Like a lost season of "Veep"... amuses and devastates in equal measure."
    Stephen Saito, Moveable Fest
  • Highest Rating
    "Offers more absurd moments than Samuel Beckett could have ever worked up."
    Arash Azizi, Universal Cinema
  • Highest Rating
    "MAYOR is essential viewing about the lines between small and grand acts of resistance."
    B.P. Flanagan, Seventh Row
  • Highest Rating
    "I loved this film. I loved everything about it from its craft, to its subject to all the thematic threads. I love that this is a film that works on many different levels, that it entertains like a drama and makes you think. This is a magnificent film."
    Steve Kopian, Unseen Films
  • Highest Rating
    "One of the Top 20 films of 2020. ...thrilling and perceptive. Essential viewing...."
    Eric Kohn, Indiewire
  • Highest Rating
    "Outstanding...Made with irony, subtlety, and style, “Mayor” is a bittersweet lesson in civic and international politics."
    Peter Keough, The Boston Globe
  • Highest Rating
    "Far from a message movie, David Osit’s sensitive documentary is a captivating, enlightening, and ultimately terrifying look at how to survive day by day when the fight for liberation can seem everlasting."
    Jordan Raup, The Film Stage
  • Highest Rating
    "“Mayor” proves a unique, involving and edifying experience."
    Gary Goldstein, The Los Angeles Times
  • Highest Rating
    "...the film is filled with a surprising amount of good humor.... At times, Mayor almost feels like a very dark version of Parks and Recreation."
    Dan Schindel, Hyperalleric
  • Highest Rating
    "... a fascinating portrait of what city politics look like under extreme conditions. "
    Chris Barsanti, The Playlist
  • Highest Rating
    "... the director contrasts sometimes dryly funny day-to-day bureaucratic machinations with extraordinary events to give viewers a weighty sense of the existential. "
    Kevin Ritchie, NOW Toronto
  • Highest Rating
    "Easily one of the best documentaries of the year, Mayor straddles political commentary, verite reportage, poetry and absurdism with considerable aplomb. "
    Dennis Harvey, 48hills
  • Highest Rating
    "Mayor proves to be a remarkable achievement. Shown through the eyes of Ramallah's leader, preconceived notions about the region are undone. It's a powerful portrait of a people left in its place."
    Chase Hutchinson, The Stranger
  • Highest Rating
    "One of the Best Films of 2020"
    Christopher Reed, Hammer to Nail
  • Highest Rating
    "One of the 25 Best Documentaries of 2020. Osit elegantly assembles a portrait of leadership—confident, caring and above all committed to the people—that feels genuinely alien to the American experience today."
    Dom Sinacola, Paste Magazine

Gallery

Awards & Recognition

You May Also Like...