This moving Palestinian entry for the 2026 Academy Awards dramatises the complex struggle of various Palestinian Arabs against British colonialism and Zionist settlements in 1936.

1936: British rule in Palestine has led to severe unrest, particularly due to British support for Zionism and the allocation of land for Jewish settlements. As tensions flare, we witness the birth of the Palestinian struggle for independence among both the local population and sympathetic British bureaucrats. Among them are Yusuf (Karim Daoud Anaya), a young villager who is becoming increasingly rebellious, and Khuloud (Yasmine Al Massri), the not-so-subtle wife of a wealthy Palestinian journalist.

Annemarie Jacir (Like Twenty Impossibles, IFFR 2017; Wajib, IFFR 2018) uses this web of characters to forge an ambitious historical drama about the Arab uprising in Palestine from 1936 to 1939 in the spirit of a generational epic, starring Hiam Abbass and Jeremy Irons. Thanks in part to the meticulous production design, she seamlessly transports us from the city to the countryside. When clashing ideals inevitably lead to armed conflict between Palestinian freedom fighters and cruel British officers, Palestine 36 shows us the growing resistance of ordinary people in the struggle for autonomy and their survival.