Queens Drive-In: Mayor

Musa Hadid, the Christian mayor of Ramallah, is serving 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. Mayor offers a portrait of dignity amidst the madness and absurdity of endless occupation while posing the question: how do you run a city when you don’t have a country?

WINNER - Grand Jury Prize, Full Frame Film Festival
WINNER - Next:Wave Award, CPH:Dox Copenhagen

Indiewire says “[t]he Best New Film About Israeli-Palestinian Conflict Is a Dark Comedy About Ramallah’s Mayor" a film which “blends black comedy and unnerving suspense for a fascinating look at life under occupation.”

Variety calls Mayor is a “sharply attentive" and “gripping and surprisingly witty” film that “summons a darkly comedic tone and Kafkaesque insight.”

Vox calls Mayor“[t]houghtful and challenging” with “whiffs of Veep-like humor throughout… a sincere tale of a public servant who’s seeking to lead in a world that’s stacked against him.”

Los Angeles Times says Mayor “shows the West Bank as we rarely see it… troubling and hilarious”

When the Philadelphia public-school system began losing almost all the funding for its music education programs in 2007, hundreds of instruments in need of repair were left for dead, and community members moved to action. With this film we are introduced to a few of the innovators, educators, volunteers, advocates, and musicians behind Symphony for a Broken Orchestra, a music and art project begun in 2017 that raised awareness for the issue, helping to get those broken instruments back into Philadelphia students' hands. Symphony for a Broken Orchestra was originally created and commissioned by Temple Contemporary at Temple University, USA. Original support for Symphony for a Broken Orchestra was provided by The Pew Center for Arts & Heritage, Philadelphia.