A new mural celebrates Philadelphia’s rich film culture — from ‘Rocky’ to ‘The Sixth Sense,’ and beyond

There are more than 4,000 murals in Philadelphia, but few of those highlight the city’s cinematic history and heritage.

That changed Oct. 3 with the dedication of Films Shaped by a City, a mural designed by Marian Bailey on the back wall of the Film Society Center, on Sansom Street between Broad and 15th Streets.

The mural was unveiled ahead of the venue’s debut of its lobby and entrance renovation and in time for the start of the 34th Philadelphia Film Festival.

The idea for the mural started when Maori Karmael Holmes, founder of BlackStar Projects, suggested “a project that would be a tribute to film in our city,” said Mural Arts executive director Jane Golden.

As is the Mural Arts way, Golden set out to find a wall, envisioning it as a place for the new mural. She found it at the Philadelphia Film Society Center.

Golden said Andrew Greenblatt, CEO and executive director of the Philadelphia Film Society, was excited about doing the project.

“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 Greenblatt.

A committee was convened, which included representatives from the Film Society, BlackStar, PhillyCAM, the Scribe Video Center, the Philadelphia Asian American Film Foundation, CineSpeak, Sotomayor Productions, and others.

Bailey was approached in June 2023 by Phil Asbury, Mural Arts’ director of community murals, about designing the mural. The project, she was told, would entail “various illustrations based off of things the film community put together.”

She said yes right away.

“I really enjoy movies, and film, and so it was a lot of fun to spearhead this project,” she said.

The mural features references to several major Philadelphia-set films, including Rocky (1976), Mikey and Nicky (1976), Blow Out (1981), Trading Places(1983), Philadelphia (1993), The Watermelon Woman (1996), and The Sixth Sense (1999).

Bailey designed the mural, and muralist Eric Okdeh led the team that painted it.

“I think about the power of film to be the vision of the future,” Holmes said at the mural’s dedication. “It only makes sense that we continue to be champions of film.”

Also featured on the mural are a number of the city’s theaters, festivals, and other cinematic institutions.

The exclusion of certain movies from the mural is likely to start some arguments.

In remarks at the dedication, State Sen. Nikil Saval pointed out the absence of such favorites as Mannequin, Eraserhead, and Creed.

(While David Lynch’s Eraserhead was inspired by the late director’s time living in Callowhill — and it ended up being the first showing at the remodeled Film Society Center— it was not actually shot in Philadelphia.)

Bailey said she loves the Creed films but wasn’t able to include them.

“It creates a conversation, like a best-of list,” Greenblatt said of the movie selection. “What didn’t make it? Why not? Let’s talk about it.”

“What I like about it is, people tell me it’s like a scavenger hunt,” Golden said. “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.”

Golden, who is stepping down as executive director at Mural Arts in the summer of 2026, said she’s excited about several upcoming projects, including a new gateway project, a Boyz II Men mural, and a tribute to Questlove.

“It’s so important to have a public art project that is not just about art that comes down from the sky. The work that we do is created in careful, respectful, intentional collaboration with the citizens of our city,” said Golden, who considers the city’s murals ”as the true autobiography of the city of Philadelphia.”

“We’re thrilled,” Greenblatt said of Films Shaped by a City. “It really adds to the building, adds to the street, and adds to what we’re trying to accomplish here. We want the Philadelphia film community to feel at home here.”