Palestine '36

"There was a time in Palestine when the greatest empire in the world lost control of entire areas, when highly educated lawyers followed the orders of illiterate peasants, and when wearing the Palestinian scarf, or koufiyyeh, became a political statement.

Palestine '36 does what few other films have done for an international audience: It places the 1936 revolution at the center of the Palestinian narrative. Viewers will come away knowing that they just learned of a foundational episode in the decades-long Palestinian struggle for freedom."

Qassam Muaddi

https://mondoweiss.net/2026/02/when-palestinian-peasants-brought-an-empire-to-its-knees/

Palestine '36 is a sweeping epic drama set during the British Mandate for Palestine before the formation of the state of Israel. In the months leading up to the Great Arab Revolt of 1936, tensions between Palestinians and British are rising. With an influx of Jewish refugees escaping antisemitism in Europe and divisions within the Palestinian community, Yusuf is torn between life in his village and work in Jerusalem.  

The choices that he makes are woven into a tapestry of perspectives — from fellow villagers, to struggling dock workers, to keen journalists, and British soldiers and officials. Writer and director Annemarie Jacir deftly balances human stories with decisive political events that are grounded in archival footage. Featuring a stellar cast of actors, including Hiam Abbass, Jeremy Irons and Saleh Bakri, this unforgettable film resonates with history that is unfolding today.

Adapted from this synopsis

Over the past 25 years, Annemarie Jacir has emerged as a leading voice in Palestinian cinema. Defying impressions that Palestinians, as bearers of trauma and suffering, must only record their lives in documentary form, Jacir has written, directed, and produced four highly-regarded feature fiction films: Salt of This Sea (2008), When I Saw You (2012), Wajib (2017), and Palestine 36 (2025). As a teacher, mentor, collaborator, founding member of Philistine Films, and in many other roles, she actively promotes indepenent cinema.

"Jacir projects Palestine on the screen as a place that is both lived and imagined. Using classic plot lines, she dramatizes the tensions arising from conflicting visions that Palestinians have of their denied homeland. The unifying theme of Jacir’s diasporic cinema is the Palestinian will to return to their land."

From "I Live Here in Palestine" An interview with Annemarie Jacir by Nadine Fattaleh (Spring 2025)

Resources

Essay: "Great Palestinian Rebellion, 1936-1939: A Popular Uprising Facing a Ruthless Repression" by Alex Winder, Interactive Encyclopedia of the Palestine Question

Interview with Annemarie Jacir by Yumna Patel, editor-in-chief of Mondoweiss

Interview with Annemarie Jacir by Frank Barat, film producer, journalist, and crew member of Palestine 36. 

"Palestine 36 is the PALESTINE story from the point of view of the Palestinians." --Annemarie Jacir