- Welcome to POV.
I'm Pete Schwaba, host of PBS Wisconsin's Director's Cut .
When most people think of the Middle East,
they probably don't think comedy or humor,
especially coming from a politician.
But tonight, you'll meet a witty irreverent public servant
in the documentary Mayor, a film Variety magazine says,
"blends black humor with unnerving suspense."
Mayor 's leading man is Musa Hadid,
the mayor of Ramallah who approaches his job
like a true servant,
saying he does not own the office
but is renting it and will only serve two terms.
He takes the job seriously, but not himself.
Before entering politics,
Hadid was a civil engineer for two decades.
Adding a layer to this narrative
is the fact that Hadid identifies as Christian
and Christians are the minority in Ramallah
by a substantial number.
So what, might you ask, does a Christian mayor
in a primarily Muslim city
that is the de facto capital of an occupied state
that is no stranger to political turmoil
focus on in his second term in office?
Well, paving sidewalks, promoting tourism,
and putting up downtown Christmas decorations.
If that sounds like a familiar or pedestrian answer, it is
and that's exactly what attracted Director David Osit
to the story.
Osit says it was the banal outlook of city's residents
in the face of their tumultuous surroundings
that not only fascinated him, but surprised him:
surprised that Christians and Muslims worked together
to figure out rudimentary municipal solutions
and the almost laissez-faire reaction
the city's residents have to periodic violence.
Trust between a documentarian and their subject or characters
is essential.
When Osit first met Hadid, he said the mayor was an open book
from the get-go and only had one request of the director.
He said, "Don't make me the main character."
So much for trust...
Mayor starts now on PBS Wisconsin,
your home for independent film.