Star of Oscar-nominated movie says Trump travel ban blocks him from attending awards: 'It hurts'
Star of Oscar-nominated movie says Trump travel ban blocks him from attending awards: 'It hurts'
Joey NolfiFri, March 13, 2026 at 2:07 PM UTC
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Donald Trump; Motaz MalheesCredit: Heather Diehl/Getty; Joe Maher/BAFTA/Getty
One of the stars of the critically lauded, Oscar-nominated film The Voice of Hind Rajab has said he's blocked from attending Sunday's Academy Awards due to Donald Trump's travel ban.
Palestinian citizen Motaz Malhees, who played one of the leads in the Best International Feature Film nominee — which dramatizes the Israeli-backed killing of a 6-year-old Palestinian girl — announced Thursday on Instagram that the president's initiative has prevented him from entering the United States.
"I had the honor of playing one of the lead roles in a story the world needed to hear. But I will not be there. I am not allowed to enter the United States because of my Palestinian citizenship," Malhees wrote in his post.
Motaz Malhees announces he's blocked from attending OscarsCredit: Motaz Malhees/Instagram
He said of the development, "It hurts. But here is the truth. You can block a passport. You cannot block a voice" from speaking — including on the film's timely and important subject matter.
"I am Palestinian, and I stand with pride and dignity. My spirit will be with The Voice of Hind Rajab that night," Malhees continued. "Good luck to all of you. Our story is bigger than any barrier, and it will be heard."
Implemented in mid-2025, Trump's travel ban included restrictions on nations including Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, the Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen, per the . It expanded in December 2025 to include 20 more countries and the Palestinian Authority, per the outlet.
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Entertainment Weekly has reached out to representatives for the White House, the U.S. Department of State, the Academy, and The Voice of Hind Rajab for comment.
The rollout for Hind Rajab has sparked support from pro-Palestine advocates amid Israel's deadly attacks on the region, which began following a 2022 Hamas-led terrorist assault on Israeli citizens.
At the project's premiere at the 2025 Toronto International Film Festival, EW filmed a woman hitting a pro-Palestinian supporter.
'The Voice of Hind Rajab' cast, including Motaz MalheesCredit: Courtesy of TIFF
Liberate 48 organizer Ahmad Jarrar, who led a demonstration outside the TIFF theater showing the film, told EW the group organized to raise awareness about the "ongoing genocide in Gaza" after "77 years of resistance" against Israel.
In similar government affairs related to 2026 Oscar nominees, It Was Just an Accident's Mehdi Mahmoudian was arrested in Iran earlier this year after speaking out against the nation's regime.
The film's director, celebrated filmmaker Jafar Panahi, was also sentenced to prison by Iranian officials over his public commentary.
The 2026 Oscars air Sunday on ABC. See Malhees' post above.
on Entertainment Weekly
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
