PARIS, Jan 10 — The director of Oscar-shortlisted film “Palestine 36” said her big-budget production about a crucial but little-known Arab rebellion is a statement about Palestinians “refusal to disappear”.

Veteran filmmaker Annemarie Jacir started production on the sweeping historical epic just before Israel’s devastating invasion of Gaza in October 2023.

Making the movie was a “financial disaster”, she admitted in an interview with AFP, but encouraging critical reaction since its debut last September and its shortlisting for an Oscar have offered solace.