Palestine, 1936: More and more villages are rising up against the British colonial power, which enforces its authority through violence. At the same time, European Jews who have fled Nazism are settling in the region. The impartial Yusuf shuttles between his rural home village and the increasingly tense Jerusalem. After a fateful event, the young man sides with the resistance. He joins allies like the dockworker Khalid, who, in the face of the escalating situation, sees no other way out than to take up arms. As personal fates and political upheavals inexorably intertwine, the situation comes to a dramatic head—a decisive moment that marks the origin of the conflict throughout the entire region.

The latest film by Palestinian filmmaker Annemarie Jacir, and Palestine’s official Oscar® submission, celebrated its acclaimed world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival. With her new directorial effort, Jacir creates a passionate, visually stunning historical epic about the 1936 Arab Revolt, erecting a cinematic monument to this defining moment in her country’s history.

Palestine 36 precisely marks the beginning of the Palestinian resistance and the turning point for the British Empire. Shot on location in Palestine and Jordan, the film was made—despite all the complications—with a palpable closeness to the historical sites.