Annemarie Jacir

Awards & Honours

Awards Won

Honours

Records

Annemarie Jacir holds a distinguished place in cinema history as the first Palestinian woman to direct a feature film. Her record includes winning the Golden Bear, a rare feat for a short film from the region. She has been the subject of numerous retrospectives at major festivals including Cannes and Venice. Her work has been instrumental in bringing Palestinian narratives to mainstream international audiences. The consistent recognition she receives from prestigious bodies like Sundance and the Academy underscores her impact on global independent cinema.

AwardsAnnemarie Jacir has received extensive accolades recognizing her artistic merit and role as a cultural pioneer. She won the Golden Bear for Best Short Film for Like Twenty Impossibles in 2003. Her feature debut Salt of This Sea garnered the Audience Award at Palm Springs and Best Film at Cairo in 2008. When I Saw You won the Special Jury Prize at Sundance in 2012. In 2017, she received the FIPRESCI Prize for Wajib at San Sebastián. In 2026, she was honored with the Displacement Film Fund grant.

Honours & Distinctions

Displacement Film Fund Recipient

Cate Blanchett Foundation·2026

Awarded a grant to support new voices in cinema.

Records & Feats

First Palestinian Woman to Direct a Feature Film

Historic First·2008

Released Salt of This Sea in 2008, breaking a glass ceiling for Palestinian women filmmakers.

First Palestinian Short Film to Win Golden Bear

Awards·2003

Like Twenty Impossibles became the first Palestinian short film to win the top prize at the Berlin International Film Festival.