Mayor is a quirky and heart-warming movie, directed by David Osit and released in 2020. It follows Musa Hadid, the Mayor of Ramallah, through the many aspects of his job. There are constituent concerns over leaking sewage, Hadid’s campaign to promote Ramallah globally, and his oversight of council meetings with a genuine attention to the minutia. With footage ranging from the charmingly mundane tasks of city hall to joyous Christmas celebrations to the disturbingly routine intrusions of Israeli security forces, Mayor is a refreshing portrayal of everyday life in Palestine.

Mayor is available to stream through a number of different services. The entire movie is in Levantine Arabic (Palestinian, specifically) with English subtitles.

Local Government Vocabulary / مفردات عن الحكومة المحلية

1:06
بلدية
Municipal (adj.), also used as a nickname for City Hall

6:48
رئيس بلدية
Mayor

7:17
حكومة
Government

7:36
احتلال
Occupation
Specifically used to describe Israeli occupation of Palestine

17:15
عاصمة
Capital city

17:20
القدس
“Al-Quds,” the Arabic name of Jerusalem

25:00
مجلس
A governing legislature
In this case, the city council

33:52
قرية
Village

33:53
مجاري
Sewage

51:15
مستوطنات
Settlements

1:01:09
رئيس الوزراء
Prime Minister

1:10:24
منتزة
A city park

1:19:17
نافورة
Fountain