Palestine 36
Director
Annemarie Jacir
Producer
Ossama Bawardi
Distributor
Watermelon Pictures
Cinematographer
Hélène Louvart
Production Designer
Nael Kanj
Editor
Tania Reddin
Composer
Ben Frost
Costume Designer
Hamada Atallah
Sound Designer
Bruno Tarrière
Type
Scripted Feature
Status
Post-Production
In 1936, the Palestinians began a farmer-led revolt against British colonialism which marked the beginning of the largest and longest uprising against Britain’s 30- year rule.
Synopsis: 1936. Across Mandate Palestine, villagers unite against growing British civil and military control of their lands and homes, beginning the largest and longest uprising against Britain’s 30- year rule. In the village of Al Basma, as the farmer-led revolt grows, YUSUF spends his days moving between Al Basma and his work in the city of Jerusalem, enthusiastically working to find his place in the changing, modern world. Young and restless, he’s more interested in getting away from the confines of rural village life than becoming involved in its problems. YUSUF’s story is interwoven with those of young widow RABAB and her daughter AFRA, the young son of local priest KAREEM; the feisty urbanite KHULOUD and her businessman husband AMIN; and rebel leader KHALID. With rising numbers of Jewish refugees and immigrants escaping an increasingly fascist Europe, and Palestinian calls for independence, all sides spiral towards inevitable collision in a decisive moment for the British Empire and the future of the entire region. As rebels take control of large swathes of the countryside bringing the Mandate Government to the verge of collapse, these men and women find themselves caught up amid their nation’s fight for freedom as the war between peasantry and empire is pushed to a breaking point.
Director — Annemarie Jacir: Annemarie Jacir has written, directed and produced over sixteen films with premieres in Cannes, Berlin, Venice, Telluride and Toronto. All three features were Palestine’s Oscar entries. She shot the first feature by a Palestinian female director, the acclaimed SALT OF THIS SEA and her second work to debut in Cannes. Founder of Philistine Films, she collaborates regularly as editor, mentor, screenwriter and producer with fellow filmmakers. Based in Palestine, she has been jury member to numerous festivals including Cannes, Sundance and Berlinale Competition. PALESTINE 36 is her fourth feature film.
Producer — Ossama Bawardi: Ossama Bawardi is an Oscar-nominated independent producer working in Palestine and Jordan. He began his film career contributing to various productions, including Salt of This Sea, Paradise Now, and Waiting for Salah Al Din, before focusing primarily on producing. Bawardi produced Annemarie Jacir’s feature film When I Saw You, which won Best Asian Film at the Berlin International Film Festival. His production credits also include Horizon, In Overtime, Mare Nostrum, The Present, The Teacher, and Bye Bye Tiberius. Bawardi produced Wajib, which won 36 international awards, including Best Film at Mar del Plata, the Dubai International Film Festival, Amiens, Washington DC, and Kerala. Most recently, he produced The Strangers’ Case, which premiered at the Berlin International Film Festival 2024. He is the producer of the upcoming film Palestine 36 by Annemarie Jacir, and co-producer on Suzannah Mirghani’s Sudanese film Cotton Queen and Nicolas Wadimoff’s feature documentary about Gaza Who Is Still Alive? - both premiering in Venice 2025. Bawardi is a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, the EAVE Producers Network, and the Asia Pacific Screen Academy.
Cinematographer — Hélène Louvart: Hélène Louvart is a prolific French cinematographer with over a hundred feature film credits internationally. Her filmography consistently features in Cannes, Venice, and Berlinale, with films such as: Eliza Hittman’s Never, Rarely, Sometimes, Always, which won the ‘Silver Bear’ in 2020; Disco Boy for which she was awarded the ‘Silver Bear for Outstanding Artistic Contribution’ in 2023; Alice Rohrwacher’s critically acclaimed La Chimera which premiered at the 76th Cannes Film Festival; and most recently premiering at this year’s Cannes are Palme D’Or nominee Romeria directed by Carla Simón and Scarlett Johansson‘s Eleanor The Great competing for Un Certain Regard. Annemarie Jacir and Helene Louvart have collaborated several times, with Toronto Gala film Palestine 36 being their most recent film together.
Production Designer — Nael Kanj: Nael Kanj entered the world of cinema over 20 years ago, transitioning from a background in architecture and restoration. He has worked as a production designer on numerous internationally acclaimed and award-winning films including The Idol (Hany Abu Assad), Last Days in Jerusalem (Tawfiq Abu Wael), Inheritance (Hiam Abbass), Wajib, (Annemarie Jacir) and Omar (Hany Abu Assad). In addition to his work behind the scenes, Kanj occasionally appears on screen in small but memorable roles. His experience and unique approach has made him a key creative force behind many acclaimed Palestinian productions. Most recently he is production designer on the epic Palestine 36, the most ambitious film to date.
Editor — Tania Reddin: Editor Tania Reddin’s recent long form credits include: Hard Truths directed by Mike Leigh; Summerland directed by award winning playwright Jessica Swale and Journey’s End directed by Saul Dibb. She collaborated with director Adrian Shergold for over 15 years on a multitude of projects including: Cordelia, Denmark, Funny Cow, Pierrepoint and Dirty Filthy Love for which she received a BAFTA nomination. Previous television credits include Steve Knight’s This Town; Sky Atlantic’s Guerrilla, Luther starring Idris Elba, The Salisbury Poisonings with Saul Dibb for BBC1 and Michael Winterbottom's This England. Her most recent credits include Annemarie Jacir’s Palestine 36.
Composer — Ben Frost: Ben Frost is an Australian/Icelandic composer, sound artist, and stage director. His work spans studio recordings, live performance, installation, and collaboration across dance, theatre, and film, where his work includes Sleeping Beauty (Julia Leigh), Palestine 36 (Annemarie Jacir), Raised By Wolves (dir. Ridley Scott), Die My Love (Lynne Ramsay) Fortitude, 1899, and the cult series Dark. Brian Eno selected Frost as his protégé through the Rolex Arts Initiative. His decade-long collaboration with artist Richard Mosse has produced three acclaimed multi-channel video works—The Enclave, Incoming, and Broken Spectre—exhibited internationally. Frost has written and directed two operas: The Wasp Factory and The Murder of Halit Yozgat, developed with research agency Forensic Architecture. His current focus is on large-scale sound installations and sculptural adaptations of PA systems.
Costume Designer — Hamada Atallah: Hamada Atallah is a fashion designer and educator who has taught craft and design since 1992. He has worked extensively as a costume designer in both film and theater. His film credits include Salt of this Sea (Annemarie Jacir), Divine Intervention (Elia Suleiman), Habibi (Suzanne Yousef) Omar (Hany Abu Assad), When I Saw You, (Jacir) Dégradé (Tarzan & Arab), 3000 Nights (Mai Masri) and more recently The Present, The Strangers' Case (Berlinale 2024) and Palestine 36 (Toronto Gala). His theater work includes Jidariyeh, Eyes That See, and Handala at the Palestinian National Theater, as well as Gilgamesh He is Not Dead and Shams at Al-Hakawati in France.
Sound Designer — Bruno Tarrière: Bruno Tarrière is an acclaimed sound designer and re-recording mixer who has worked on over 200 feature and documentary films since 1987. His credits span international cinema, with numerous titles selected at Cannes, Berlin, and Venice, including Palme d'Or winner Underground and Grand Prix winner A Hero. He has received César nominations for Léon and Pacifiction, and won for Jeanne d’Arc and Le Concert. Tarrière has collaborated with directors such as Luc Besson, Emir Kusturica, Zhang Yimou, and James Ivory, earning sound awards across Europe, Asia, and the U.S