Annemarie Jacir
Annemarie Jacir (born 1975) is a Palestinian filmmaker, writer, and producer who has helped define a new generation of Palestinian cinema. Born in Bethlehem to a Christian family, she spent much of her youth in Saudi Arabia before moving to the United States, where she earned an MFA from Columbia University's School of the Arts in 2002. Her short Like Twenty Impossibles (2003) was the first Arab short ever selected for the official programme at Cannes and was Oscar-shortlisted. Her debut feature Salt of this Sea (2008) was the first feature directed by a Palestinian woman and Palestine's Oscar submission that year; When I Saw You (2012) won Best Asian Film at the Berlinale, and Wajib (2017), about an estranged father and son hand-delivering wedding invitations across Nazareth, won 36 international awards. She is a founding member of the Palestinian Filmmakers' Collective.