US EditionPalestinian Actor Says He Can’t Attend Oscars because of US Travel Ban
Motaz Malhees cannot attend the Oscars due to a U.S. travel ban on Palestinian passport holders issued in December 2025, affecting his participation in the event.
- Motaz Malhees, the Palestinian actor, announced on Friday he cannot attend the Academy Awards because he has been barred from entering the United States, and he said 'it hurts' on Instagram.
- The December executive order expanded a travel ban to bar people holding Palestinian passports from entering the U.S., alongside those from South Sudan and Syria.
- Set in a Red Crescent call center in Ramallah, the film centers on a 70-minute recording of Hind Rajab's pleas for help after five family members and two ambulance workers were killed by Israeli fire.
- Malhees wrote on Instagram that he stands with pride and dignity and his spirit will be with the film on Sunday, while the U.S. State Department and the Academy did not respond to requests for comment.
- Directed by Kaouther Ben Hania, the film won the Venice Film Festival grand jury prize and will be honored at the 98th Academy Awards on Sunday without one of its star players.
20 Articles
20 Articles
‘It hurts’: Trump travel ban blocks Oscar nominee from attending award ceremony
Oscar-nominated actor Motaz Malhees is barred from attending this Sunday’s Academy Awards due to President Donald Trump’s travel ban for certain foreign nationals, with the actor taking to social media Friday to express his disappointment.Malhees played a prominent role in the 2025 film “The Voice o...
Video - While the film is nominated for the Oscars in the category "Best International Film", the main actor of the film revealed that he could not attend the ceremony.
The interpreter has communicated through his social networks his absence in the gala and denounces that the American government has denied him access to the country for his Palestinian citizenship
Palestinian actor can’t attend Oscars due to US travel ban
Palestinian actor Motaz Malhees said a travel ban imposed by the Trump administration is preventing him from attending this weekend's Academy Awards, whose nominees include a movie in which he has a starring role. "The Voice of Hind Rajab," a film about a five-year-old Palestinian girl killed by Israeli forces in Gaza in 2024, has been Oscar-nominated for best international feature film. Malhees, who plays the role of a call center operator atte…
The actor Motaz Malhees plays one of the leading roles in the film "The Voice of Hind Rajab" which is also nominated for the Oscars, which take place on Monday in Hollywood. Despite his important role, Malhees cannot be awarded – the reason for this is a ban on entry imposed by Trump. "I am not allowed to enter the USA because of my Palestinian citizenship," writes the actor on his Instagram account. That's why he will miss this year's Academy A…
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