The Voice of Hind Rajab, a film about a five-year-old Palestinian girl killed by Israeli forces in Gaza in 2024, has been nominated for best international feature film... Palestinian actor, Motaz Malhees, who plays the role of a call center operator attempting to help the girl, can’t attend Oscars because of US travel ban

Motaz Malhees is an actor in The Voice of Hind Rajab, a film about a Palestinian girl killed by the IDF in Gaza in 2024

A still from The Voice of Hind Rajab, with Motaz Malhees in the background. Photograph: BFA/Alamy

Palestinian actor Motaz Malhees said a travel ban imposed by Donald Trump is preventing him from attending Sunday’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 nominated for best international feature film.

Malhees, who plays the role of a call center operator attempting to help the girl, said he cannot attend the Academy Awards show, known as the Oscars, because he has been barred from entering the US.

“I am not allowed to enter the United States because of my Palestinian citizenship,” Malhees said on Instagram, adding “it hurts” he would not attend the Oscars.

In a December proclamation restricting entry of foreign nationals, Trump said as president he had “determined to fully restrict and limit the entry of individuals using travel documents issued or endorsed by the Palestinian Authority”... READ MORE  https://www.theguardian.com/film/2026/mar/14/palestinian-actor-oscars-travel-ban 

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