EXCLUSIVE: Annemarie Jacir’s period drama Palestine 36, Palestine’s Oscar entry for best international feature about a critical turning point in
EXCLUSIVE: Annemarie Jacir’s period drama Palestine 36, Palestine’s Oscar entry for best international feature about a critical turning point in Palestinian history during the 1930s, has sold to key European territories.
Lucky Number, co-selling the film with mk2 Films, has scored distribution deals in Germany (Alamode), Spain (La Aventura), Sweden (TriArt), Portugal (Film4You), Bulgaria (Beta) and ex-Yugoslavia (MCF Megacom).
The film explores the 1936-39 Arab Revolt when Palestinians rebelled against British colonial rule and focuses on the more personal stories of characters grappling with the changes around them, including a man navigating between his time-honored village and a rapidly changing city, a girl and her grandmother, and a port worker trying to support his family.
It world premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in September ahead of a UK premiere at the BFI London Film Festival on Friday (October 17).
The ensemble film stars Hiam Abbass and Jeremy Irons along with Saleh Bakri, Robert Aramayo, Billy Howle, Liam Cunningham, Dafer L’Abidine, Yasmine Al-Massri, Yumna Marwan and Karim Daoud Anaya.
It is produced by Ossama Bawardi for Philistine Films alongside Autonomous and Corniche Media from the UK, France’s MK Productions, Denmark’s Snowglobe and Azzam Fakhreddin.
Curzon will release the film in the UK and Ireland on October 31. Other distributors in co-production territories or via pre-sales include Haut et Court in France, Camera Film in Denmark, Staer Films in Norway, Mad Solutions for the Arab world, Telfaz for Saudi Arabia, Watermelon Pictures in the USA, Trigon Film in Switzerland, TRT in Turkey and Roya TV in Jordan.
Palestine 36 is Jacir’s fourth Palestinian Oscar entry following Salt Of The Sea, When I Saw You and Wajib.
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