Among the first to be hit by the AIDS epidemic in the 1980’s, Sean Strub’s political ambitions took a backseat as he struggled to survive. Now 60, he is running for mayor of a conservative town in Pennsylvania. How will this liberal, openly gay ex-New Yorker and founder of POZ, a magazine for people with HIV, fare in a rural community that voted for Donald Trump? My Friend, The Mayor follows his two-month campaign through to its nail-biting finish. The documentary, filmed by Sean’s friend and former Dutch TV-correspondent Max Westerman, is an inspiring and hopeful portrayal of small-town democracy in the age of Trump. The election of a controversial president has energized voters at the local level, with many getting involved in surprisingly bipartisan ways.
Project Links
LGBTQ+ Toronto Film Festival 