I Used to be the Mayor

Logline: Through the spontaneous and unconventional encounters between a young filmmaker and the former mayor of Budapest, we reveal the story of the rise and fall of a man and his country.

Synopsis: A taxi driver turned writer, in the 80’s Gabor Demszky became a leading voice in the underground opposition to Hungary’s totalitarian regime. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, he became the first democratically elected Mayor of Budapest – and over the course of 20 years and four more election victories, he helped transform his country into a vibrant liberal democracy. But meteoric rises can lead to dramatic falls. Today power is in the hands of Victor Orban, who has turned the clock back 30 years on a new wave of populist support. No opposition voices are tolerated. Gabor is no longer taken seriously. His triumphs long forgotten. At the age of 68 – living in a one-bedroom apartment on the sharp end of five divorces he struggles with the anonymity of life outside the political spotlight, and is taking stock of the price he’s paid – personally and reputationally – for his place in Hungary’s history. But with the appearance of a young filmmaker Gabor’s life starts to bloom again. The challenging encounters between them make Gabor considering his relevance, his decisions, and the way he wants to be remembered. But the constant battle of representation and the ownership of a portrait are driving the growing friendship.
At the backdrop of the 2022 Hungarian elections and the next big win of Victor Orban’s FIDESZ party, this film follows Gabor as he battles to revive the political values that define him, and to make good on mistakes that continue to haunt him. He’ll demonstrate against the current regime and offer his help to society’s forgotten. He’ll meet old friends and collaborators as he revisits his remarkable life and the turbulent story of his country’s rise and fall. And he’ll attempt to build bridges with his family and to find meaningful love – all of which were neglected at the height of his success.
Animation and archive will bring his reflections to life, helping to paint a vivid picture of Gabor in his heyday, revealing the actions through which he paved the way for radical change, and unpacking the forces that would ultimately lead him and his country in a starkly different direction. Gabor is no ordinary aging man, a person once shaped by power and redefined by his present life and to understand him is to unravel the story of a nation.

Producer: László Józsa
Director: Alexander Sußmann
Cinematographers: Alexander Sußmann, Natasa Nagy, Hernath Csaba
Editor: Evelin Laczi

Supported by Creative Europe MEDIA