The documentary chronicles the story of those on the frontlines of the Syrian civil war.
The Academy has voiced their support of the filmmaking team behind the nominated The Last Men in Aleppo that will not be able to attend the Oscar ceremony due to travel restrictions.
“As supporters of filmmakers — and the human rights of all people — around the globe, we stand in solidarity with [Feras] Fayyad as well as the film’s producer Kareem Abeed,” reads a statement from The Academy on Tuesday.
Abeed, who currently resides in Turkey, will not be able to travel to the U.S. after being denied a travel visa due to restrictions placed on eight predominantly Muslim countries by the Trump administration. Along with Abeed, the doc’s subject, White Helmets founding member Mahmoud Al-Hattar, will also not be able to attend the Oscars ceremony.
The Last Men in Aleppo, which documents those on the frontlines of the Syrian civil war, will be vying for the best documentary at the March 4 ceremony.
Oscar-winning Iranian director Asghar Farhadi, who was nominated in the best foreign language category for The Salesman, did not attend last year’s Academy Awards in protest of Trump’s policy. Additionally, Khaled Khateeb, the Syrain cinematographer behind last year’s doc short nominee The White Helmets was barred from entering the country. Both Farhadi and Khateeb’s films went on to win in their respective categories.
Read the Academy’s full statement below.
Director Feras Fayyad and producer Kareem Abeed made history with “Last Men in Aleppo,” the first Documentary Feature Oscar nominee from a Syrian directing-producing team. For 90 years, the Oscars have celebrated achievement in the art of filmmaking, which seeks to transcend borders and speak to audiences around the world, regardless of national, ethnic, or religious differences. As supporters of filmmakers—and the human rights of all people—around the globe, we stand in solidarity with Fayyad as well as the film’s producer Kareem Abeed, who was denied a visa to the United States to attend the Academy Awards on March 4.