DUBAI: Director Annemarie Jacir’s “Palestine 36” premiered this week at the 2025 Toronto International Film Festival at a gala screening.
The film was partially funded by Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea Film Fund.
Set on the outskirts of Jerusalem, “Palestine 36” tells the story of the Arab uprising against the British mandate.
The official logline reads: “In 1936, as villages across Mandatory Palestine rise against British colonial rule, Yusuf drifts between his rural home and the restless energy of Jerusalem, longing for a future beyond the growing unrest.
“But history is relentless. With rising numbers of Jewish immigrants escaping antisemitism in Europe, and the Palestinian population uniting in the largest and longest uprising against Britain’s 30-year dominion, all sides spiral toward inevitable collision in a decisive moment for the British Empire and the future of the entire region.”
The film features an ensemble cast, including Oscar-winner Jeremy Irons, “Game of Thrones” star Liam Cunningham, and Tunisian actor Dhafer L’Abidine, alongside Palestinian talents Hiam Abbass, Yasmine Al-Massri, Kamel El Basha, and Saleh Bakri.
The premier was attended by British actors Billy Howle and Robert Aramayo, Palestinian actor Karim Daoud Anaya, and Palestinian Jordanian film producer Ossama Bawardi, as well as Jacir, Bakri, Al-Massri and Abbass.
Jacir, whose previous credits include “Salt of the Sea,” “When I Saw You,” “Wajib” and episodes of “Ramy,” began work on the project before the global pandemic.
