Ben Frost - Palestine 36 (2026) [Hi-Res]

Palestine 36 is the original score by Ben Frost for the historical drama of the same name by Palestinian filmmaker Annemarie Jacir. The film depicts the events of 1936–1939 — the largest Palestinian uprising against British Mandate rule. It premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) in September 2025, where it received a 20-minute standing ovation and became the first Arab film to screen in the festival's Gala section. The film was Palestine's official submission for Best International Feature Film at the 98th Academy Awards, making the December shortlist.
For Frost — the Australian-born, Iceland-based composer and sound artist — this project marked a departure from his signature terrain of experimental electronics and sci-fi scoring toward deeply emotional orchestral writing. The score was performed by the Qatar Philharmonic Orchestra. As Frost himself described it, the music is "an honest response to a sense of loss." Rather than the aggressive electronic textures that defined his work on Dark and 1899, the palette here is dominated by restrained chamber strings — violas and cellos — evoking an atmosphere of inevitability. Critics uniformly noted that the unconventional choice of an experimental electronic producer as composer for a classical historical epic proved to be a remarkably effective decision.
The film's ensemble cast includes Hiam Abbass, Kamel El Basha, Saleh Bakri, Jeremy Irons, Liam Cunningham, Robert Aramayo, and Yasmine Al Massri. Cinematography is by Hélène Louvart, Sarah Blum, and Tim Fleming. The film was shot in Palestine and Jordan, incorporating colorized archival footage from the 1930s.

Tracklist:
1-1 Ben Frost - All Before You [4:51]
1-2 Ben Frost - Bread Or Bullets [6:11]
1-3 Ben Frost - Another Settlement [3:29]
1-4 Ben Frost - May God Forgive You [6:34]
1-5 Ben Frost - Kareem [3:50]
1-6 Ben Frost - Half A Loaf Is Better Than No Bread At All [4:20]
1-7 Ben Frost - Who Gives Birth Never Dies [4:43]
1-8 Ben Frost - Afra [8:54]