Palestine 36 to hold its Palestinian premiere in Gaza on 22 Dec
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PALESTINE 36, the new feature by acclaimed Palestinian filmmaker Annemarie Jacir, will hold its Palestinian premiere in Gaza on Monday 22 December at 3:30 PM (Palestine time), in coordination with the Gaza International Festival for Women’s Cinema and alongside the Gaza Soup Kitchen.
The screening will be followed by a post-screening virtual Q&A with key members of the film’s creative team and cast.
Event details
- Event: PALESTINE 36 – Palestinian Premiere (Gaza Screening)
- Date: Monday, 22 December 2025
- Time: 3:30 PM (Palestine time)
- Programme: Screening; Post-screening virtual Q&A
- Virtual Q&A participants: Ossama Bawardi, Annemarie Jacir, Liam Cunningham, Hiam Abbas, and Saleh Bakri
The Gaza International Festival for Women’s Cinema was founded to spotlight the stories, realities, and urgent issues facing Palestinian women through cinema, and to connect Palestine with the world through an artistic space that transcends borders and barriers.
Public Q&A link (watch + submit questions)
Audience members worldwide can watch the virtual Q&A live and submit questions and comments via the link below:
About the film
Set against the seismic events of 1936, PALESTINE 36 follows Yusuf, a young man moving between his rural village and the charged streets of Jerusalem, as Mandatory Palestine erupts in the largest and longest uprising against British colonial rule - a decisive moment for the British Empire and the future of the region.
Featuring an international ensemble cast including Hiam Abbass, Saleh Bakri, Kamel El Basha, Dhafer L’Abidine, Yasmine Al Massri, Billy Howle, Liam Cunningham, Robert Aramayo, and Jeremy Irons, PALESTINE 36 is Jacir’s most ambitious feature to date.
A film built against the odds
PALESTINE 36 began pre-production in January 2023, restoring and rebuilding locations at scale, before repeated shutdowns and relocation forced the team to restart - ultimately returning to complete shooting in Palestine after thirteen months, and wrapping following multiple stop-start cycles.
From Jacir and Bawardi’s creative statements, the film’s making became inseparable from its meaning: a work carried through crisis, rooted in lived reality, and driven by a belief in cinema as cultural memory, urgency, and survival.
Global momentum, major festival recognition
An exceptional festival run has positioned PALESTINE 36 as one of the standout international titles of the year - marked by major wins, key premieres, and sustained momentum across territories.
- Academy Awards® (98th Oscars) - Shortlist for Best International Feature Film
- Tokyo International Film Festival - Tokyo Grand Prix (Governor of Tokyo Award), the festival’s top prize
- São Paulo International Film Festival - Audience Award (Best International Fiction)
- Asian World Film Festival - Snow Leopard Special Jury Award
- Asia Pacific Screen Awards - Best Screenplay nomination
- Arab Film Festival (San Francisco) - Audience Award
- European Film Awards - Shortlist (Feature Film Selection 2026)
- London Critics’ Circle Film Awards - Breakthrough Performer of the Year nomination (Robert Aramayo)
The film has also screened internationally including the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), AFI Fest (Los Angeles), Rome Film Festival, BFI London Film Festival, Carthage Film Festival (Opening Film), Marrakech International Film Festival (Closing Film), and a Red Sea International Film Festival Gala Screening, with ongoing releases across multiple territories.
A landmark moment for Palestinian cinema
With this recognition, PALESTINE 36 becomes Annemarie Jacir’s fourth film to be submitted by Palestine for the Academy Awards’ International Feature Film race - following Salt of This Sea, When I Saw You and Wajib.
It is also only the third Palestinian submission to reach the Academy’s International Feature Film shortlist, following Hany Abu-Assad’s Omar and From Ground Zero, the Gaza-made anthology created by a collective of filmmakers.
Upcoming Release dates (Arab World)
- 22 December 2025 – Palestine (Gaza): Palestinian premiere.
- Release across all of Palestine in January.
- 31 December 2025 – Egypt
- 1 January 2026 – GCC & Levant; Kuwait; Oman; Bahrain; Qatar; Jordan Saudi Arabia
- 4 January 2026 – Morocco
- 7 January 2026 – Tunisia
- 29 January 2026 – UAE
Press and coverage opportunities
We are actively arranging international coverage around the Gaza premiere, the Oscar shortlist announcement, the film’s ongoing exceptional UK theatrical run, upcoming worldwide releases, the making of the film, and more.
- Interviews with writer-director Annemarie Jacir
- Producer interviews with Ossama Bawardi
- Select talent availability (subject to schedule)
- Press screenings, Q&As, and editorial opportunities tied to the film’s ongoing UK theatrical run
- Full EPK assets available on request (stills, bios, notes, credits)
