ANNEMARIE JACIR was born to a Christian family in Bethlehem, Palestine, in 1975. She spent her childhood and youth in Saudi Arabia and later moved to the United States for her higher education. In 2002, she received her Master of Fine Arts from the Columbia University School of the Arts.
Annemarie Jacir: Film Director, Screenwriter
Introduction to Annemarie Jacir. 2:12 min. Interview: Raymond Elman. Post-Production: Lee Skye. Music: Suno Recorded via ZOOM 3/30/2026, Miami — Palestine.
Jacir has been working in independent cinema since 1998 and has written, directed and produced a number of award-winning films. Two of her films premiered as Official Selections in Cannes, one in Berlin and in Venice, Locarno, Rotterdam, Toronto, and Telluride. All three of her feature films were selected as Palestine’s Oscar Entry for Foreign Language Film. Her short film, “Like Twenty Impossibles,” was the first Arab short film to ever be an official selection of the Cannes International Film Festival and went on to be a Student Academy Awards Finalist, winning more than 15 awards at International festivals.
In 2007, Jacir directed and wrote “Salt of This Sea,” the story of a working-class American woman whose parents were Palestinian refugees, making her first return to her family’s homeland. “Salt of This Sea” is the first feature film by a Palestinian woman director. Her second work to debut in Cannes Film Festival, “Salt of This Sea,” went on to win the FIPRESCI Critics Award, and garnered fourteen other international awards including Best Film in Milan. The film was Palestine’s submission to the 81st Academy Awards for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film and received many other awards.
Jacir’s second feature “When I Saw You,” won Best Asian Film at the Berlinale, Best Arab Film in Abu Dhabi and Best Film in Amiens, Phoenix, and Olympia, and garnered a nomination at the Asian Pacific Screen Awards.
In 2011, renown Chinese director Zhang Yimou selected her to be his first protégée as part of the Rolex Arts Initiative. With a commitment to teaching, training and hiring locally, Jacir also curates, actively promoting independent cinema in the region. Founder of Philistine Films, she collaborates regularly as an editor, screenwriter and producer with fellow filmmakers. She teaches screenwriting and works as a freelance editor as well as consultant.
Jacir’s film “Wajib” (2017) won 36 international awards including Best Film in Mar Del Plata, Dubai, Amiens, DC Film Festival and Kerala and jury mention at the London BFI Festival.
Her latest film, “Palestine 36” (2025), featuring Jeremy Irons, is her most ambitious project to date.
— https://www.philistinefilms.com/
The videos below were recorded via Zoom, are organized by Success Factor, and run between 30 seconds and 5 minutes. Click on any video. You must be connected to the Internet to view the videos.
INSIGHT & INSPIRATION: 2:20 min.
Where did you grow up, and what was your first awareness of art of any discipline?
SERENDIPITY: 0:41 sec.
You grew up in Palestine and Saudi Arabia, but your English doesn’t have a trace of an accent. Why is that?
INSIGHT & INSPIRATION: 2:15 min.
What was your first experience in a movie theater?
PERSEVERANCE FURTHERS: 4:12 min.
What was your evolution into filmmaking?
CREATIVE FLEXIBILITY: 1:35 min.
Do you make documentaries?
CREATES A UNIQUE PERSONAL BRAND: 0:43 sec.
How critical is the role of research in your filmmaking?
OVERCOMES CHALLENGES TO SUCCEED: 2:23 min.
We published an ArtSpeak video conversation with film director Maria Giese, who for a long time has been a crusader against the Film Industry for discrimination against women directors. Have you experienced discrimination by the Film Industry?
Film Director Maria Giese Leads the Battle for Gender Equality in the Film Industry
CREATES A UNIQUE PERSONAL BRAND: 3:44 min.
Tell us about the sequence of films you have made and what you learned along the way.
COLLABORATION: 3:07 min.
What was it like working with Jeremy Irons as one of the stars of “Palestine 36”?
CRITICAL THINKING: 1:12 min
Did Jeremy Irons suggest that the character Charles Tegart say, “We don’t want another Ireland on our hands”?
CREATES A UNIQUE PERSONAL BRAND: 1:19 min
One of the memorable characters in “Palestine 36” is the sadistic Captain Orde Wingate. who sported long greasy hair. Was his appearance based on your research?
RESILIENCE: 2:03 min.
Your film looks expensive. And then October 7th happened in the middle of filming.
OVERCOMES CHALLENGES TO SUCCEED: 3:30 min.
Women are generally suppressed in the Arab world. What percentage of your crew is women and how do the men in your crew respond to a female director?
CRITICAL THINKING: 1:48 min.
Have you been able to measure the reactions of different generations to “Palestine 36”?
CREATES A UNIQUE PERSONAL BRAND: 0:46 sec.
What’s your favorite movie?
