{"id":4199,"date":"2026-03-15T13:06:04","date_gmt":"2026-03-15T13:06:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.worldpumpnews.com\/?p=4199"},"modified":"2026-03-15T13:06:04","modified_gmt":"2026-03-15T13:06:04","slug":"star-of-oscar-nominated-film-says-hes-unable-to-attend-ceremony-because-of-trumps-travel-ban","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.worldpumpnews.com\/?p=4199","title":{"rendered":"Star of Oscar-nominated film says he\u2019s unable to attend ceremony because of Trump\u2019s travel ban"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><\/p>\n<div><img loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Star of Oscar-nominated film says he\u2019s unable to attend ceremony because of Trump\u2019s travel ban\" width=\"620\" height=\"500\" decoding=\"async\" data-nimg=\"1\" class=\"w-full object-cover rounded-md\" style=\"color:transparent;background-size:cover;background-position:50% 50%;background-repeat:no-repeat;background-image:url(&quot;data:image\/svg+xml;charset=utf-8,%3Csvg xmlns='http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg' viewBox='0 0 620 500'%3E%3Cfilter id='b' color-interpolation-filters='sRGB'%3E%3CfeGaussianBlur stdDeviation='20'\/%3E%3CfeColorMatrix values='1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 100 -1' result='s'\/%3E%3CfeFlood x='0' y='0' width='100%25' height='100%25'\/%3E%3CfeComposite operator='out' in='s'\/%3E%3CfeComposite in2='SourceGraphic'\/%3E%3CfeGaussianBlur stdDeviation='20'\/%3E%3C\/filter%3E%3Cimage width='100%25' height='100%25' x='0' y='0' preserveAspectRatio='none' style='filter: url(%23b);' href='data:image\/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAAoAAAAKCAQAAACEN3D\/AAAAL0lEQVR42mP4z8DAwMiAARgZGJhY+P\/\/PwMDAwPDfwYGBgaGhgYGhgYGAAD9Hwlr5xRngAAAAABJRU5ErkJggg=='\/%3E%3C\/svg%3E&quot;)\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 768px) 100vw, (max-width: 1100px) 620px, 620px\" src=\"\/_next\/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcms.joe.co.uk%2Fuploads%2F2026%2F03%2Ftrump-oscars.png%3Fheight%3D574%26width%3D1024&amp;w=360&amp;q=75 360w, \/_next\/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcms.joe.co.uk%2Fuploads%2F2026%2F03%2Ftrump-oscars.png%3Fheight%3D574%26width%3D1024&amp;w=414&amp;q=75 414w, \/_next\/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcms.joe.co.uk%2Fuploads%2F2026%2F03%2Ftrump-oscars.png%3Fheight%3D574%26width%3D1024&amp;w=640&amp;q=75 640w, \/_next\/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcms.joe.co.uk%2Fuploads%2F2026%2F03%2Ftrump-oscars.png%3Fheight%3D574%26width%3D1024&amp;w=768&amp;q=75 768w, \/_next\/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcms.joe.co.uk%2Fuploads%2F2026%2F03%2Ftrump-oscars.png%3Fheight%3D574%26width%3D1024&amp;w=1024&amp;q=75 1024w, \/_next\/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcms.joe.co.uk%2Fuploads%2F2026%2F03%2Ftrump-oscars.png%3Fheight%3D574%26width%3D1024&amp;w=1280&amp;q=75 1280w, \/_next\/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcms.joe.co.uk%2Fuploads%2F2026%2F03%2Ftrump-oscars.png%3Fheight%3D574%26width%3D1024&amp;w=1536&amp;q=75 1536w\" bad-src=\"https:\/\/www.joe.co.uk\/_next\/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcms.joe.co.uk%2Fuploads%2F2026%2F03%2Ftrump-oscars.png%3Fheight%3D574%26width%3D1024&amp;w=1536&amp;q=75\"\/><!--$--><\/p>\n<p><h2>He says Trump \u2018cannot block\u2019 his voice<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n<p><!--\/$--><!--$--><\/p>\n<div class=\"custom-prose drop-cap \">\n<p>An actor whose film is nominated for an Oscar has said that he cannot attend Sunday\u2019s ceremony in Los Angeles, because of US President Donald Trump.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><!--\/$--><!--$--><\/p>\n<div class=\"custom-prose  \">\n<p>Motaz Malhees, the Palestinian actor who stars in The Voice of Hind Rajab, has said that Donald Trump\u2019s travel ban is preventing him from attending the 98th Academy Awards.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><!--\/$--><!--$--><!--\/$--><!--$--><\/p>\n<div class=\"custom-prose  \">\n<p>The Voice of Hind Rajab was nominated for Best International Feature Film, as the Tunisian entry.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><!--\/$--><!--$--><!--\/$--><!--$--><\/p>\n<div class=\"custom-prose  \">\n<p>Malhees, 34, stars in the emotional and haunting docudrama about five-year-old Palestinian girl Hind Rajab, who, along with her family and the EMTs who tried to save her, was killed by Israeli forces in 2024.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><!--\/$--><!--$--><\/p>\n<div class=\"custom-prose  \">\n<p>The actor said that he is \u201cnot allowed to enter the United States\u201d due to his Palestinian citizenship.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><!--\/$--><!--$--><\/p>\n<div class=\"w-full flex flex-col items-center max-w-[659px] 970:max-w-[630px] my-5\">\n<div class=\"w-[345px] tablet:w-[618px]\"><img alt=\"Article image\" fetchpriority=\"auto\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"618\" height=\"329\" decoding=\"async\" data-nimg=\"1\" class=\"w-full h-auto object-contain rounded-[10px]\" style=\"color:transparent\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 345px, 618px\" src=\"\/_next\/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcms.joe.co.uk%2Fuploads%2F2026%2F03%2FGettyImages-2232898502.jpg&amp;w=64&amp;q=75 64w, \/_next\/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcms.joe.co.uk%2Fuploads%2F2026%2F03%2FGettyImages-2232898502.jpg&amp;w=96&amp;q=75 96w, \/_next\/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcms.joe.co.uk%2Fuploads%2F2026%2F03%2FGettyImages-2232898502.jpg&amp;w=128&amp;q=75 128w, \/_next\/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcms.joe.co.uk%2Fuploads%2F2026%2F03%2FGettyImages-2232898502.jpg&amp;w=160&amp;q=75 160w, \/_next\/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcms.joe.co.uk%2Fuploads%2F2026%2F03%2FGettyImages-2232898502.jpg&amp;w=192&amp;q=75 192w, \/_next\/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcms.joe.co.uk%2Fuploads%2F2026%2F03%2FGettyImages-2232898502.jpg&amp;w=256&amp;q=75 256w, \/_next\/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcms.joe.co.uk%2Fuploads%2F2026%2F03%2FGettyImages-2232898502.jpg&amp;w=320&amp;q=75 320w, \/_next\/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcms.joe.co.uk%2Fuploads%2F2026%2F03%2FGettyImages-2232898502.jpg&amp;w=360&amp;q=75 360w, \/_next\/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcms.joe.co.uk%2Fuploads%2F2026%2F03%2FGettyImages-2232898502.jpg&amp;w=414&amp;q=75 414w, \/_next\/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcms.joe.co.uk%2Fuploads%2F2026%2F03%2FGettyImages-2232898502.jpg&amp;w=640&amp;q=75 640w, \/_next\/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcms.joe.co.uk%2Fuploads%2F2026%2F03%2FGettyImages-2232898502.jpg&amp;w=768&amp;q=75 768w, \/_next\/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcms.joe.co.uk%2Fuploads%2F2026%2F03%2FGettyImages-2232898502.jpg&amp;w=1024&amp;q=75 1024w, \/_next\/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcms.joe.co.uk%2Fuploads%2F2026%2F03%2FGettyImages-2232898502.jpg&amp;w=1280&amp;q=75 1280w, \/_next\/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcms.joe.co.uk%2Fuploads%2F2026%2F03%2FGettyImages-2232898502.jpg&amp;w=1536&amp;q=75 1536w\" bad-src=\"https:\/\/www.joe.co.uk\/_next\/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcms.joe.co.uk%2Fuploads%2F2026%2F03%2FGettyImages-2232898502.jpg&amp;w=1536&amp;q=75\"\/><img alt=\"Logo Camera in article\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"11\" height=\"9\" decoding=\"async\" data-nimg=\"1\" class=\"absolute w-[11px] h-[9px] bottom-[11px] right-[11px] object-conatin tablet:hidden\" style=\"color:transparent\" src=\"\/_next\/image?url=%2F_next%2Fstatic%2Fmedia%2Fcamera.5e27b748.png&amp;w=64&amp;q=75 1x\" bad-src=\"https:\/\/www.joe.co.uk\/_next\/image?url=%2F_next%2Fstatic%2Fmedia%2Fcamera.5e27b748.png&amp;w=64&amp;q=75\"\/><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><!--\/$--><!--$--><\/p>\n<div class=\"custom-prose  \">\n<p>Trump announced an expansive travel ban that restricts entry for people with Palestinian Authority-issued travel documents, in December of last year.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><!--\/$--><!--$--><\/p>\n<div class=\"custom-prose  \">\n<p>\u201cOur film The Voice of Hind Rajab was nominated for an Academy Award. I had the honor of playing one of the lead roles in a story the world needed to hear,\u201d the film\u2019s star wrote on Instagram on Thursday.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><!--\/$--><!--$--><!--\/$--><!--$--><\/p>\n<div class=\"custom-prose  \">\n<p>\u201cBut I will not be there. I am not allowed to enter the United States because of my Palestinian citizenship. It hurts. But here is the truth: You can block a passport. You cannot block a voice\u201d, he added.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><!--\/$--><!--$--><\/p>\n<div class=\"custom-prose  \">\n<p>\u201cI am Palestinian, and I stand with pride and dignity. My spirit will be with the Voice of Hind Rajab that night. Good luck to all of you. Our story is bigger than the barrier, and it will be heard\u201d, Malhees continued.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><!--\/$--><!--$--><!--\/$--><!--$--><\/p>\n<div class=\"custom-prose  \">\n<p>Oscar-winning British actor Riz Ahmed was one of the numerous peers who stood in solidarity with the actor.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><!--\/$--><!--$--><\/p>\n<div class=\"custom-prose  \">\n<p>\u201cYour work in the film and the film itself are both incredible and will live on forever. Sending much love and respect\u201d, Ahmed commented.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><!--\/$--><!--$--><!--\/$--><!--$--><\/p>\n<div class=\"custom-prose  \">\n<p>For Best International Feature Film at this year\u2019s Oscars, The Voice of Hind Rajab is competing against The Secret Agent (Brazil), Sentimental Value (Norway), Sir\u0101t (Spain) and It Was Just an Accident (France).<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><!--\/$--><\/div>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/www.instagram.com\/embed.js\"><\/script><br \/>\n<br \/>#Star #Oscarnominated #film #hes #unable #attend #ceremony #Trumps #travel #ban<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>He says Trump \u2018cannot block\u2019 his voice An actor whose film is nominated for an Oscar has said that he cannot attend Sunday\u2019s ceremony in Los Angeles, because of US President Donald Trump. Motaz Malhees, the Palestinian actor who stars in The Voice of Hind Rajab, has said that Donald Trump\u2019s travel ban is preventing [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4200,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[4228,2543,636,2972,1000,1764,3179,4229,4231,4230,1435,1835,1902,192,1550],"class_list":{"0":"post-4199","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-featured","8":"tag-academy-awards","9":"tag-attend","10":"tag-ban","11":"tag-ceremony","12":"tag-donald-trump","13":"tag-film","14":"tag-hes","15":"tag-motaz-malhees","16":"tag-oscarnominated","17":"tag-oscars","18":"tag-star","19":"tag-travel","20":"tag-travel-ban","21":"tag-trumps","22":"tag-unable"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.worldpumpnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4199","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.worldpumpnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.worldpumpnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.worldpumpnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.worldpumpnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=4199"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.worldpumpnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4199\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.worldpumpnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/4200"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.worldpumpnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=4199"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.worldpumpnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=4199"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.worldpumpnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=4199"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}