'Mayor of Lowell' Premieres at the Modern Theatre

Cambodian culture took center stage as a team of Suffolk alumni filmmakers premiered their documentary, Mayor of Lowell, at the Modern Theatre. The film follows Mayor Sokhary Chau’s journey from refugee to becoming the first Cambodian American mayor in the United States and the first mayor of color for the city of Lowell.  

Executive producer and Lowell native Hunter Berube ’22, and director, Kayla Dalton ’22, were in attendance along with Chau. The event was sponsored by the Ford Hall Forum, Theatre Department, Communication, Journalism & Media Department, the Newburyport Documentary Film Festival, and the Greater Lowell Community Foundation.  

In addition to the film screening, audiences were treated to a variety of experiences including two classical Cambodian dances by Indras Artistic Creation (IAC) choreographed by IAC’s president and one of the film’s producers, Kennis Yin-Mor. In one dance, the ornately dressed performers conducted a mass-blessing as they tossed multicolored flowers into the crowd.

Other highlights included a screening of Amherst Media Interim Director Yanna Ok's short film about the Khmer Rouge, and the presentation of an original painting of Chau by Cambodian painter Bernard Long. Ok is the steward of Amherst Media’s “Cambodians in Amherst” historical exhibit which will be on display at the State House this May in honor of Asian Pacific American Heritage month. This April 17 marks the 50th anniversary of the Khmer genocide and many cities including Lowell have declared the day Cambodian Genocide Remembrance Day.

 Rounding out the event was a Ford Hall Forum discussion moderated by Lowellian Carla Rojo,’14, a reporter for NBC 10 Boston, NECN and Telemundo Nueva Inglaterra.  

Chau expressed his gratitude for the accolades, saying that “as you can see in the film, it’s really just about Lowell. What makes it great. Diversity, the culture, the people and I think the individuals you saw in the film are what made Lowell to be the city that it is today.”

“Yeah, let's do it!”

Two years ago, Berube was covering a Golden Gloves boxing event in Lowell and struck up a casual conversation with Sokhary. He knew instinctively that Chau had a compelling story to tell. Prompted by his cameraman, Berube asked, “Hey, Sokhary, do you want to do a film?”  

To his delight, the mayor immediately responded: “Yeah, let's do it!”  

Chau fled Cambodia with his mother and six siblings when he was just seven years old. His father, a captain in the Cambodian army, was one of approximately three million people executed by the radical communist movement Khmer Rouge that ruled Cambodia from 1975 to 1979.  

By the 1980s, a large population of Cambodian immigrants had settled in the Lowell area. People of Cambodian descent now make up approximately 25% of Lowell’s population and have contributed to the city’s diverse artist community, cutting-edge technology, and industry.  

Chau first entered politics in 2019 serving on Lowell City Council before becoming Lowell’s mayor from 2022-24. Mayor of Lowell expertly weaves Chau’s story with the city of Lowell and places emphasis on the arts––something that is especially important to Chau.  

“We start with the mayor's story, and then the dancers and they can kind of guide us throughout the film and we use them as our narrative arc,” explains Dalton, who formed a creative partnership with Berube during their time together at Suffolk.  

Dalton says the subjects for the film were excited about being represented and eager to share their stories. “It was a very organic process.”   

It started at Suffolk  

 When Berube first visited campus and walked into Studio 73 he knew immediately he wanted to be at Suffolk.  

“I learned everything I know about production from Suffolk Studio 73, with [Director of Broadcast Facilities] Jerry Glendye and the CJN department,” he says.

He immersed himself working as a reporter for Dirty Water Media and Suffolk in the City on New England Cable News. He and Dalton solidified their friendship developing storytelling skills with Media Lab Services Coordinator & Lecturer Daniel Weidknecht and practical skills with Glendye.  

Dalton, now a content producer and editor at NBC 10 Boston, learned the pair worked well together when they were hired as assistant directors for Weidknecht’s 2023 documentary Roxbury.  

“I think the experience with Roxbury really helped us know how to navigate this,” she explains.  

The majority of the Mayor of Lowell’s crew came from Suffolk and includes Murat Metshin ’23, director of photography, Dima Mishin ’22, main camera operations (and cinematographer for Roxbury) and Nailea Sanchez ’24, media marketing.  

Culture shock  

When working on a film, Berube says he likes to “culture shock” himself” to get an accurate understanding of the subject matter. He did just that by joining Yin-Mor on a month-long trip to Cambodia this past January.  

The pilgrimage informed his perspective and allowed him to see first-hand the darkness and depth of Cambodian history that often moved him to tears. He also discovered through the connections and kindness of the Cambodian people that, “there was so much light there.”  

“I really immersed myself as much as an Irish Frenchmen can in someone else's culture,” said Berube. “The growth that I have experienced exponentially in such a short amount of time, not just as a filmmaker, but as a person has just been the entire reason why I do this. I want to expand my brain, and I want to give other people the chance to see that expansion for themselves.”  

Giving Back 

Berube, a program specialist and grant writer at MassHigher Greater Lowell Workforce Board, has been selected as one of Suffolk’s 2025 10 Under 10 recipients, which celebrates recent graduates who are already making their mark in their careers, their communities, and through their ongoing support for and service to Suffolk.  

Calling the honor “humbling,” Berube encourages others to get involved. “I want to make sure my messaging is clear; do as much as you can for your community, and it will pay off and it will pay back.”  

Berube’s passion for giving back to his community and creative expression have kept him busy. He is partnering with local schools showing screenings of Mayor of Lowell and has just been nominated for the Greater Lowell Chamber of Commerce Young Professionals Award. At the premiere, he announced that the film has raised $10,000 for production costs toward a $20,000 goal, crediting support from the Greater Lowell Community Foundation and outreach efforts including a showcase in Lowell last September.  

This fall, he’ll be directing and producing Lowell’s Dare2Imag9ne International Film Festival.  

He also has plans to create a two-part documentary about the 2027 National Golden Gloves championship tournament hosted in Lowell after personally writing and winning Lowell’s bid to host the event.  

As he works to make positive change in his community, Berube ties his success to the support he received at Suffolk.