"Palestine 36" faces a smear and piracy campaign hindering its path to Oscar 2026

The makers of the film "Palestine 36" revealed that the work is being subjected to an organized and fierce smear campaign, aimed at "assassinating" it artistically and commercially while it is still in the early stages of cinematic screenings.

The film's organizers issued an "urgent" statement through their official accounts, confirming the monitoring of a series of pirated leaks, offensive comments, and misleading ratings on global platforms.

The statement clarified that these movements are not spontaneous, but rather aim at one goal: to "break public turnout" and reduce the film's chances of widespread distribution.

The creators warned of the danger of watching the film via IPTV links or leaked copies, stressing that piracy in this context goes beyond the concept of "free viewing" to become "direct harm" that affects the continuation of screenings in cinemas and threatens the future of Palestinian films in reaching the big screens.

This campaign takes on special importance and temporal sensitivity; as "Palestine 36" is the "official choice of the State of Palestine" to represent it in the 2026 Academy Awards for the International Feature Film category, and observers believe that attempts to lower the film's digital rating primarily aim to influence its reputation before arbitration committees and international forums.

The filmmakers called on their audience to respond in the "simplest and strongest" way, which is to fill cinema seats, considering that every ticket sold is a clear message that "Palestine deserves to be seen and heard," and they urged followers to:

Write honest reviews on platforms to counter fake ratings.

Report pirated links and do not contribute to their dissemination.

Talk about the film to encourage others without revealing spoilers.

The statement concluded by emphasizing the cinematic work's message: "Cinema is a testimony," and the makers of the film "Palestine 36" revealed that the work is being subjected to an organized and fierce smear campaign, aimed at "assassinating" it artistically and commercially, and the importance of supporting independent Palestinian cultural production.