The Film
Marvin Rees is a ‘mixed race’ man in his 40’s. Having experienced poverty and racism in his life, he wants to shape the society he lives in and believes political office will give him the power to do so.
In 2012 he runs for mayor in Bristol, UK. The journey into politics hits him with rejection, failure and an inner struggle that eventually leads to the biggest challenge of his life. THE MAYOR’S RACE is about the desire to overcome doubt and the boundaries between social background and power.
The Filmmakers
Loraine Blumenthal
I’m a documentary filmmaker from Berlin and I have always been very interested in the black power movement in the United States. To find out that something similar was going on in the UK came as a surprise to me.
I was excited to find out about the remarkable achievements of Paul Stephenson and a group of black activists who led the civil rights movement in Bristol. Then I found out about Marvin Rees’ ambition to shape this city, through politics and I knew this needed to become a documentary film.
Rob Mitchell
I am a Creative Media Producer who studied Drama in Bristol and then used media mainly as a tool for engaging people and communities, often with the aims of learning and civic participation. Co-founder of Firstborn Creatives with Shawn Sobers and former of director Black Pyramid Film and Video Project, a lot of my work has looked at issues of representation, history and belonging.
I met Loraine while working on a community project, inspired by the Bristol Bus Boycott story. After discussing the idea of making a film, we agreed that the 1963 story could be brought up to date if we centred it on this fellow, with Jamaican heritage, who is thinking of running for Mayor one generation later.