Annemarie Jacir facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Annemarie Jacir
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Actress Reem Abu Sbaih (left) and composer Kamran Rastegar (second left), with Jacir (right) at Cannes in 2003 for world premiere of like twenty impossibles
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| Occupation | Director, actress, poet, screenwriter |
| Years active | 1998–present |
Annemarie Jacir (Arabic: آن ماري جاسر) is a Palestinian filmmaker, writer, and producer. She is known for her award-winning films that often tell stories about Palestinian life. Her work has been shown at major film festivals around the world.
Career
Filmmaking
Annemarie Jacir studied filmmaking at Columbia University in 2002. She has been making independent films since 1998. She has written, directed, and produced many films that have won awards.
Some of her films have premiered at famous festivals like Cannes International Film Festival, Berlin, and Venice. All three of her feature films (longer movies) were chosen as Palestine's entry for the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film.
Her short film, Like Twenty Impossibles, made history. It was the first Arab short film ever to be officially shown at the Cannes Film Festival. It also became a finalist for a Student Academy Award and won over 15 awards at other international festivals. Like Twenty Impossibles was even named one of the top ten films of 2003 by Film Comment Magazine.
In 2007, Jacir directed Salt of this Sea. This was the first feature film made by a Palestinian woman director. The movie tells the story of a young American woman whose family were Palestinian refugees. She returns to her family's homeland for the first time.
Salt of this Sea also premiered at the Cannes Film Festival. It won a special critics' award and many other international awards. It was Palestine's submission for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. The film starred poet Suheir Hammad and actor Saleh Bakri.
Her second feature film, When I Saw You, won Best Asian Film at the Berlinale (Berlin Film Festival). It also won Best Arab Film in Abu Dhabi and Best Film in other cities.
Annemarie Jacir works on both fiction films and documentaries. Other films she has worked on include Until When and A Few Crumbs for the Birds. She was also the cinematographer (the person who films the movie) for A Few Crumbs for the Birds.
In 2011, the famous Chinese director Zhang Yimou chose her to be his first student in a special arts program. Jacir also helps promote independent cinema in her region. She founded Philistine Films and often works with other filmmakers as an editor, screenwriter, or producer.
Her 2017 film Wajib won or was nominated for 35 international awards. These included Best Film in Mar Del Plata, Dubai, and Locarno.
Poetry
Annemarie Jacir's poetry and stories have been published in many literary magazines and books. These include Mizna and The Poetry of Arab Women: A Contemporary Anthology. She has read her poetry alongside famous poet Amiri Baraka. She has also won several awards for her screenplays.
Other roles
Annemarie Jacir has been a jury member at major film festivals. She was on the jury at Cannes in 2018 and at the Berlin International Film Festival in 2020.
She is a member of important film groups like the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (who give out the Oscars) and the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA). She is also a board member of Palestine Cinema Days.
She is a founding member of the Palestinian Filmmakers' Collective, which is based in Palestine.
Annemarie Jacir has taught at universities like Columbia University and Bethlehem University. She has also taught in refugee camps in Palestine, Lebanon, and Jordan. She helps mentor new screenwriters. She is also a co-founder of Dar Yusuf Nasri Jacir for Art & Research, an art space in her hometown of Bethlehem.
Curator
Annemarie Jacir is the main curator and founder of the "Dreams of a Nation" Palestinian cinema project. This project works to promote Palestinian films.
In 2003, she organized and curated the "Dreams of a Nation" film festival. It was the largest traveling film festival in Palestine. The festival showed old Palestinian films and traveled to several Palestinian cities.
Recognition and awards
Her 2012 film When I Saw You won the NETPAC Critics Award for Best Asian Film at the 63rd Berlin International Film Festival. It was also chosen as the Palestinian entry for the Best Foreign Language Oscar at the 85th Academy Awards.
Her 2017 film Wajib starred Saleh Bakri and his father, the well-known actor Mohammad Bakri. This film won 36 international awards, including Best Film in many festivals. Saleh and Mohammad Bakri won the Best Actor award together for their roles in the film. Annemarie Jacir won the Best Fiction Feature award for Wajib at the Dubai International Film Festival in 2017.
In 2004, Filmmaker magazine named Annemarie Jacir one of the "25 New Faces of Independent Cinema."
Filmography
- From Palestine with Love (Postcard from the Future) (2022)
- Wajib (2017)
- When I Saw You (2012)
- Salt of This Sea (2008)
- An Explanation – And Then Burn the Ashes (2006)
- Quelques miettes pour les oiseaux (2005)
- like twenty impossibles (2003)
- The Satellite Shooters (2001)
- A Post Oslo History (2001)
See also
In Spanish: Annemarie Jacir para niños
