New Philadelphia Mural Highlights City’s Film History

A new mural titled Films Shaped by a City has been unveiled in Center City Philadelphia. The artwork celebrates the city's rich film legacy with depictions of several movies shot or set in Philadelphia.

Mural Arts, the BlackStar Projects, the Philadelphia Film Society, and artist Marian Bailey collaborated on the mural creation. The work honors Philadelphia's cinematic heritage during the reopening of the Philadelphia Film Society Center and the 34th Philadelphia Film Festival, Oct. 16-26.

Films Shaped by a City is installed on the back wall of the Film Society Center, on Samson Street between Broad and 15th streets. The mural highlights iconic films with connections to Philadelphia, such as Rocky (1976), Philadelphia (1993), The Sixth Sense (1999), and Trading Places (1983).

According to The Philadelphia Inquirer, the idea for the mural started when Maori Karmael Holmes, founder of BlackStar Projects, recommended “a project that would be a tribute to film in our city,” said Mural Arts Executive Director Jane Golden. 

Golden wanted to find a wall in the city to house the mural, ultimately identifying one at the Philadelphia Film Society Center.

“I said, yeah, we would love to do something that celebrates film in Philadelphia on that wall. And from there, it kind of developed,” said Andrew Greenblatt, CEO and executive director of the Philadelphia Film Society, to The Inquirer.

Muralist Eric Okdeh led a team of artists who painted the mural. The work features symbols from various film legends, although some popular films, like Creed and Eraserhead, were notably excluded.

“What I like about it is people tell me it's like a scavenger hunt,” Golden stated. “They are looking for different icons. They get really excited [about] how many they can identify and are familiar with. So, I think it's a kind of mural that shines a light on and lifts up the arts in our city.”