Palestine 1936 - English subtitles

Festival favourite Annemarie Jacir takes us back to Palestine in the 1930s, charting the lives and ambitions of those living under British rule. Jeremy Irons and Hiam Abbass round out a tremendously strong international cast.

Palestine 1936: Rising numbers of Jewish immigrants are arriving to escape persecution in Europe just as Palestinian villages are uniting in the largest and longest uprising against Britain’s 30-year colonial rule. The region is reaching a breaking point, spiraling toward an inevitable collision that will be a decisive turning point for the British Empire and the future of the land.

Within this tumultuous setting, 'Palestine 1936' follows several characters caught up in the conflict. Yusuf drifts between his rural home and the restless energy of Jerusalem, longing for a future beyond the growing unrest, while young Afra tries to navigate the seismic changes with the aid of her grandmother. Meanwhile, a dissatisfied port worker finds the pressures of earning a living drawing him into the rebel movement. In this powerful and suspenseful work of historical fiction, starring such notable actors as Hiam Abbass and Jeremy Irons, renowned filmmaker Annemarie Jacir (Wajib, When I Saw You, and Like Twenty Impossibles) uses a wide cinematic canvas to offer context, humanity, and complexity to a story that is still tragically unfolding.