Film Reviews “Palestine 36” And “No Other Land”
ARTICLES of GENERAL INTEREST
FILM REVIEWS “PALESTINE 36”
AND
“NO OTHER LAND”
(TOGETHER WITH SOME FAMILY INVOLVEMENT)
Further to my recent WO article on how conkers played their part in the creation of the state of Israel,
I now bring my further insights on the conflicts that ensued through the medium of family photographs and cinema films.
Palestine 36 is in essence a fictionalised account of the events during the Arab revolt against British colonial rule in Palestine in the 1930s. It was put out on limited cinema release at the end of 2025 but is currently available to stream on a number of platforms.
The film embodies a reflection of real-world issues faced by the people within Palestine – both then and now. The film unfolds within a divided society that balances between strife and hope, illustrating the day-to-day realities encountered by its characters.
Centred around a small community in Palestine, and the hard-line Christian Zionists in the British administration and army, the film provides a view of political struggles.
It challenges viewers to consider the impact of political decisions on individual lives, urging contemplation of empathy, coexistence, and the potential for reconciliation. By shedding light on personal stories amidst political narratives, the film humanizes a conflict often reduced to headlines and statistics.
In conclusion, and through the lens of the 90 years since, the British Mandate does not present a good optic. On the whole they failed to preserve one of the central tenants of the Balfour Declaration, namely, that “nothing shall be done which may prejudice the civil and religious rights of existing non-Jewish communities.”
No Other Land is a Best Documentary Feature Film Oscar winner in 2024 co-produced by the Palestinian National Authority with assistance from sympathetic Israelis and the Norwegian Film Institute. The film was recorded between 2019 and 2023 and shows the destruction of a Palestinian community in the occupied West Bank, which had been resisting displacement after an Israeli “firing zone” was declared on their land. The sub-text appears to be an excuse to remove these Palestinians in order for a Jewish settlement to be established. Again, this film is available for streaming on a number of platforms.
My interest and trying to avoid “taking sides” in these ever present intractable events, is as a consequence my late father-in-law “GWC” being a Regular soldier stationed in Palestine in 1936. He left many photographs. Some show the aftermath of terrorist bombings (he was in the Royal Engineers and tasked with clearing the debris). Others were of the main religious sites – Jewish, Muslim and Christian. The ascribed texts are the words he wrote on the backs of the photo prints.
Tony Hodge