‘Palestine 36′ Offers โStark Portrait of 1936 Palestine, Earns Oscar Submission Nod
RAMALLAH, โฃWEST BANK – Palestine’s official โคsubmission for the 96th Academy Awards, Palestine 36,โฃ delivers a compelling andโ nuanced depiction of life inโ Mandatory Palestine during the 1936 Arab โขrevolt. Directed by Muhammad โBakri,โ the film โขcenters โon the experiences of British โคcivilโข servant Thomas Young, based on the real-life James โฃYoung, as he navigates theโ escalating โtensions and political complexities ofโ the region.
The film portraysโค the growing disconnect between British colonial authorities and the โขpalestinianโ population, โexemplified through the โcharacter of Khuloud, played by Maisa Abd Elhadi, whose increasing alienation from her husband’s social and business circles mirrors the broader Palestinian experience.
British figures are depicted with โa blend of “pomp, โcluelessness, arrogance and cruelty,” according โขto reviews, withโ Alec Irons delivering a performance as โSir Alan Wauchope, the โhigh Commissioner for Palestine, as a “self-satisfied spouterโ of windy โฃbureaucratese.” โขAt one point, Khuloud wryly observes Wauchope’s pronouncements, noting,โข “this is the part where they educate and elevate us.”
Robertโข Aramayo portrays Captain Wingateโข as a “sadistic” military officerโข who justifies the Zionist project in Palestine usingโ biblical prophecy,a rhetoric the film โnotes continues to resonate today.The film highlights Wingate’s justification being calmly challenged by Thomas.
A striking element of the film is the castingโค ofโ Liamโ Cunningham, a known supporter โขof Palestinian โindependence and participant in aid flotillas to Gaza, as Charles โขTegart, a counterinsurgency expert drawingโ on experience from British colonial โIndia. The film depicts Thomas responding to Tegart’s ideas with a forceful outburst, marking โขa turning point in his character arc.
Palestine 36 doesn’t shy โaway from direct questionsโฃ about the legitimacy of British rule. A villageโ elder โคposes the question to Thomas: โ”Is it the โฃright of theโ English, as occupying power, to distribute the land as they like?” The film underscores โฃthe core conflict asโข a โdivision betweenโฃ “heartlessness โandโข compassion,”โข and “anguish and hope.” Yafa Bakri’s portrayal of Rabab, a village mother,โข succinctly explains the influx of settlers: “Their countries don’t want them.”