“Palestine 36" Cast Calls for an End to Gaza Genocide at Toronto Film Festival!

At the Toronto International Film Festival, the premiere of Palestine 36 became a powerful platform for protest. Cast members Karim Daoud Anaya, Yasmine Al Massri, and Zaid Ghazal drew attention to the ongoing violence in Gaza, holding Palestinian flags, kuffiyehs, and a plastic bag dripping with fake blood and containing a camera, symbols of lives and stories under attack.

The film, directed by Palestinian filmmaker Annemarie Jacir, transports audiences back to 1930s British Palestine, following Yusuf (played by Anaya) and other Palestinians navigating life under colonial rule. Jacir drew on rare archival footage, colorized for the film, to show that the struggle for Palestinian sovereignty is ongoing.

Friday’s premiere took place exactly 700 days after Oct. 7, 2023. Ghazal raised his hands painted with the words “Stop the genocide,” while other cast members held messages demanding justice.

“This is a genocide of our own people,” Jacir told reporters. "Now is the time. There is no tomorrow.”

Source: CBC