Support Mayor Marvin Rees Documentary

'The Mayor’s Race' tells the story of Marvin Rees’ courageous triumph in becoming not just Bristol's first Black directly elected mayor, but propably the first Black- African/Caribbean mayor in Europe.

But this triumph did not come without challenge as he has to fight against the racism and intolerance that has plagued him his whole life as a mixed-heritage black man growing up in England.

Lorain Blumenthal and Rob Mithcell are now looking for Crowdfunding to get this documentary made.

This documentary is not just the story of black man’s fight to overcome racism - but rather his dream of completely transforming an unbalanced societal power structure in an attempt to create a more positive future for Bristol.

This film focuses on the many hurdles that marginalized people will have to jump through if they wish to participate politically, socially, and economically. The growing movement of alt-right agendas and the battle of identity for what it means to be European, has made this documentary that much more relevant as the world has become in desperate search for new leaders.

The film does not intend to erase or forgive Bristol’s dark racial past - instead it attempts to explore it for the purpose of showing the present effects of the past injustices that will ultimately play out in a very public campaign.

The Mayor’s Race completely rejects social limitations based on one’s cultural background and is odd to the power of strength and determination in the face of doubt and rejection.

Loraine Blumenthal and Rob Mitchell are the filmmakers who took on this brave story.

Blumenthal is a filmmaker from Berlin who found herself enthralled by the America’s Black power movement and became astonished when she learned of the same movement in the U.K. In learning of Bristol civil rights leaders like Paul Stephenson, Blumenthal felt compelled to make a film documenting Marvin Rees’ ambition to take on political office as a Black man in Bristol.

Rob Mitchell is a creative media producer, the co-founder of Firstborn Creatives, and the former director of Black Pyramid Film and Video Project. A lot of Mitchell’s work has centered on issues of representation, history, and belonging. He uses his knowledge and expertise in media as an opportunity to engage communities for the purpose of learning and encouraging civic participation.

Lorain Blumenthal and Rob Mithcell came to the idea of a documentary about Marvin Rees while working on a community project that was 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.”

The Mayor’s Race is a poignant and socially relevant story that demands to be told. With your help you can bring this story into fruition. Blumenthal and Mitchell have started a crowdfunding campaign to raise money for the finishing touches of the film - this includes final editing, colouring and mixing, clearance for archives and music, festival entries and getting it into distribution.

We only have 14 Days to make this happen so we encourage everyone to spread the world and get involved.

https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/the-mayor-s-race-documentary-film-diversity/x/16345525#/

Simon Woolley