Israeli Police Ban Film, Yet It Reaches Oscars Shortlist

By Velvet Winter

ABC Arts

Topic: Movies

Yusef, a farmer from his hometown, feels torn between his village and the unrest in Jerusalem, Palestine 36. (Supplied: Nixco)

Director and writer Annemarie Jacir fought hard to keep one key scene in her new film, Palestine 36.

The movie tells the story of the 1936 Palestinian revolt against British rule, with big sets, gunfire and explosions.

Jacir wanted a shot of a little girl running on Jerusalem walls, a moment that almost did not happen.

In 2023, weeks before filming began, the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel stopped production.

"I was looking at pictures of old cities in Cyprus, Greece and Malta," Jacir tells ABC Arts. "Many places have old walls."

Annemarie Jacir has made independent films for over twenty years. (Getty: Gareth Cattermole)

"The producers said we must think about the current events and decide what to do. I kept saying I will only film in Jerusalem. It matters to us. It may look like another old city to you, but it is not to us."

"I had to give up many things because of politics and the attacks, but some things I would not give up. This scene was one of them."

Jacir stayed true to her plan, moving to Jordan to film extra scenes before returning to Palestine a year later to finish the movie.

"It felt like a survival tactic, we had to keep working. We all felt that pressure. It felt even more important."

Going back

Palestine 36 is the only feature shot in the country in the last two years and one of few films showing 1930s Palestine on screen.

The uprising from 1936 to 1939 was a violent fight for independence from British rule, forcing locals from their land while European refugees arrived after World II.

A British armored car drives past a crowd in Nazareth during the 1936‑39 revolt. (Getty: Heinrich Hoffmann/ullstein bild)

Thousands died or were injured, and the revolt helps explain today’s Israel‑Gaza conflict.

"Few people know this history. It is vital to understand this period before we can discuss the Nakba and the 1948 war," Jacir says.

"It is hard to talk about 1936 without knowing what happened then."

The Israeli government rejects the UN report, calling it flawed and full of errors that push an anti‑Israel narrative.

Jacir’s film mixes many stories: a young Arab joining the rebellion, villagers under siege, an Oxford‑educated journalist, a British officer torn between duty and conscience, and children born into war.

She felt pressure to balance her role as an artist with her duty to teach people about Palestine.

"We are showing something never seen on screen before. It is our story and we must honor it," she says.

"Everyone on the film had a family member alive in 1936. The cast thought deeply about it. Actor Saleh Bakri showed me a photo of his grandfather who worked on the Yafa docks, just like his character Khalid."

"He asked, ‘Can I look like my grandfather?’ So we modeled his look after him."

Saleh Bakri as Khalid (centre) in Palestine 36. (Supplied: Nixco)

Returning to Palestine to film was a sobering experience for cast and crew with deep family roots there.

"It was very hard and painful, and you can see that on screen. The actors felt the pain because we filmed violent scenes while real violence was happening around us," Jacir says.

"We crossed checkpoints daily and were stopped by settlers, but we believed nothing could stop us."

Rebel, Rebel

Palestine 36 opened with a 20‑minute standing ovation at the 2025 Toronto International Film Festival.

It later won Best Film at the Tokyo International Film Festival and was added to the Best International Feature Film shortlist for the 2026 Academy Awards.

"I do not like being silenced; my voice must be heard." Twelve‑year‑old actor Wardi Eilabouni accepted the Tokyo award for Palestine 36. (Getty: David Mareuil/Anadolu)

A month later, Jacir’s team said Israeli police shut a screening at Jerusalem’s Yabous Cultural Centre and issued a notice banning any future showings.

"I did not expect this because no Israelis appear in the film," Jacir says.

"The film is about a Palestinian village and British brutality. Yes, it shows political Zionism and we understand the context."

"It is a shame the film was taken from audiences. They even posted a notice saying the film breaks anti‑terrorism law, which is absurd."

Even though it was one of her toughest projects, Jacir is proud to share the 1936 rebellion story worldwide.

"People everywhere must remember they have a voice and agency, even in the darkest times," she says.

The film has no single hero; it tells a collective story of a united people, Jacir explains.

"That is why the British used collective punishment; there is strength in unity," she says.

"That was our superpower, and it remains our superpower."

Palestine 36 is now playing in Australian cinemas.

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