Palestine 36 (2025)

Director: Annemarie Jacir

Palestine, United Kingdom, France, Denmark, Norway, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, United Arab Emirates

Fiction | 119 minutes

Arabic and English with Arabic and English subtitles

Sharjah Art Foundation presents the UAE premiere of Palestine 36 (2025), a historical drama written and directed by Palestinian filmmaker Annemarie Jacir. The film is one of the two films selected for the Foundation’s inaugural Sharjah Film Platform Feature Fund, a robust grant designed to support and promote feature-length films from the region.  

As villages across Mandatory Palestine rise against British colonial rule in 1936, Yusuf drifts between his rural home and the restless energy of Jerusalem, longing for a future beyond the growing unrest. 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 towards inevitable collision in a decisive moment for the British Empire and the future of the entire region.

Annemarie Jacir’s fourth feature film, Palestine 36 opens with archival footage of Palestine from 1936, immediately connecting viewers to a foundational historical moment. The ensuing narrative intimately moves between various characters as they confront the colonial powers, conjuring images that remain prevalent today in light of ongoing Palestinian resistance.

Palestine 36, winner of the Tokyo Grand Pix at the 38th Tokyo International Film Festival (2025), has been shortlisted for the 98th Academy Awards (2026) in the best international feature category.

The film will have its UAE premiere at 8:00 PM on 24 January 2026 at Mirage City Cinema, followed by a Q&A session with the director, Annemarie Jacir and the producer, Ossama Bawardi.

SFP FEATURE FUND

Established in 2024, the 500,000 AED Sharjah Film Platform Feature Fund supports UAE-based filmmakers in realising their cinematic visions. This year, the award was shared between Palestine 36 and Colored Sweets, directed by Mohamad W. Ali. The decision was made by an international jury consisting of Sohail Dahdal, filmmaker and professor of media, American University of Sharjah; Suha Arraf, filmmaker and script doctor; Talal Afifi, founder of the Sudan Film Factory and President of the Sudan Independent Film Festival; and Nawar Al Qassimi, Vice President, Sharjah Art Foundation.