The Palestinian Ministry of Culture has chosen Palestine 36the new film by director Annemarie Jacir, to represent the country in the category of best international film at the 98ᵉ Academy Awards ceremony. The film, which will be unveiled as a global preview on September 5, 2025 during the 50ᵉ edition of the Toronto International Festival, is already a major project, both by its historic subject and by its impressive distribution.
With Palestine 36Annemarie Jacir plunged into a pivotal period of Palestinian history, that of 1936, under British mandate. The story follows Yusuf, a young man torn between his native village and the bubbling energy of Jerusalem. While the revolt against the British occupier is amplified and the massive arrival of Jewish refugees fleeing fascist Europe upsets balances, collective destiny is tightened around an inevitable break point. The film explores this moment when the Palestinian aspirations for independence and the calculations of the British Empire collide, drawing the beginnings of a conflict in world repercussions.
To give life to this historic fresco, Annemarie Jacir surrounded herself with an exceptional casting, bringing together essential figures of Palestinian and international cinema. We find in particular Hiam Abbass, Kamel El Basha, Saleh Bakri, Yasmine Al-Massri, but also British stars such as Jeremy Irons, Liam Cunningham and Robert Aramayo. The next generation is also represented by Yafa Bakri and Karim Daoud Anaya. Alongside them, the film has the participation of Syrian Jalal Altawil and the British actor Billy Howle.
But one of the names that particularly attracts attention is that of the Tunisian Dhafer abidine. For several years, he has established himself as one of the most recognized Arab faces on the international scene. Former professional footballer who became an actor and model, he built an impressive career, going from Tunisian productions to the successful Arab series, then to major international projects. His talent and charisma allowed him to cross borders, becoming a figurehead of Arab cinema and television. Its presence in Palestine 36 testifies not only to his artistic influence, but also of his desire to associate with a cinematographic project carrying memory and meaning. For the Arab public, and more particularly Maghreb, his participation gives an additional resonance to the film and strengthens his symbolic weight.
The collective dimension of this project is also reflected in its technical team and its producers. Around Annemarie Jacir, we find Ossama Bawardi and Azzam Fakhrilin in production, joined by Cat Villiers, Hani Farsi, Nils Åstrand, Olivier Barbier, Katrin Pors, Hamza Ali and Elissa Pierre. The photography is signed Hélène Louvart, while the music is composed by Ben Frost.
In a global context marked by new tragedies in Palestine, the director highlighted how this film was an extraordinary challenge for her: ” The story follows a group of people who find themselves in a situation they have not chosen, with something much greater than they weighs on their lives. Realize Palestine 36 was the most difficult experience of my life. I would never have imagined that this year, marked by blood, violence and death, would also be the year when I would build a work born of so many hands and hearts, with so much love and resistance. »»
With this new feature film, Annemarie Jacir is continuing an exceptional journey. Director, screenwriter and producer, she has more than sixteen films to her credit, including three feature films already subject by La Palestine to the Oscars. She was also the first Palestinian woman to make a feature film with Salt of this Seafilm presented in Cannes and winner of the Prix Fipresci. His following films, When i Saw you (Prize for the best Asian film in the Berlinale) and Wajib (36 awards around the world) have confirmed its importance in the international cinematographic landscape.
Committed to the development of an independent Palestinian and Arab cinema, Annemarie Jacir founded the Philistine Films company, with which she supports and accompanies young talents. Located in Palestine, she created Dar Jacir, an independent cultural space in Bethlehem, and regularly sits in the juries of the biggest festivals like Cannes, Berlin or Sundance. She is a member of the Academy of Oscars, Bafta and Asia Pacific Screen Academy. His work was also celebrated by several retrospectives, notably in New York and Toronto.
The announcement of Palestine 36 As an official representative of Palestine to Oscars is therefore part of a double dynamic: that of a cinema which carries a collective memory high, and that of a filmmaker whose work is already imposed as a global reference. With a team and a cast of such a scale, and the noticed participation of Dhafer the Abidine, the film promises to be an essential event of the season. It remains to be seen whether this story, deeply rooted in Palestinian history but with universal echoes, will be able to seduce the academy and cross the stages until the appointment, even to the coronation.
