Palestine 36 director Annemarie Jacir has called on Israeli authorities to end a ban on screening her film, which depicts the historical roots of the Palestinian struggle, after police reportedly raided a screening in East Jerusalem and arrested a projectionist.
In a statement, Jacir accused Israeli police of abruptly shutting down a screening of “Palestine 36” at East Jerusalem’s Yaboos Cultural Center and Cinematheque last week and “detaining the projectionist and taking him away for interrogation.” Following the January 22 incident reported in Israeli media, “an official notice was issued banning future screenings of the film, along with the completely false and unsubstantiated claim that Yaboos was showing a film promoting the work of a terrorist organization. This accusation is factually inaccurate and highly absurd,” the statement added.
Israeli authorities could not immediately be reached for comment.
East Jerusalem was annexed by Israel during the 1967 war, but the United Nations considers most countries to have occupied Palestinian territory under international law.
“Palestine 36” is Palestine’s official entry as a finalist in the international feature category for the 2026 Academy Awards, but it was not nominated. The film will be released in limited US release in New York and Los Angeles on February 13th through Watermelon Pictures.
This remarkable masterpiece, which premiered in Toronto, tells the story of a young man named Yusuf who finds himself embroiled in political turmoil as tensions rise in Jerusalem and his village as British repression continues following the arrival of Jewish immigrants fleeing anti-Semitism in Europe. The cast includes Jeremy Irons as the Colonial Commissioner, Hiam Abbas (Succession), Liam Cunningham, and Saleh Bakri (The Teacher).
“Palestine 36” was produced by Ossama Bawardi and Azzam Fakridin for Philistine Films. Additionally, production companies include Autonomous and Corniche Media from the UK, MK Productions from France, and Snowglobe from Denmark.
Doha Film Institute and Katara Studios are also backers of Jacir’s epic, along with BBC Films and BFI, Watermelon Pictures’ Red Sea Fund, Loya Media Group, Metafora Productions, Cocoon Film, TRT, Jordan Film Fund, Koala VFX, Danish Film Institute, Film y Vest, Sorfond, CNC – Cinema du Monde and the Ile de France region.
