The Syrian producer of Oscar-nominated ‘Last Men in Aleppo’ has been denied a visa to enter the US to attend the 90th Annual Academy Awards, being held in Los Angeles on March 4.
The film, which has made history as the first Documentary Feature Oscar nominee from a Syrian directing-producing team, was directed by director Feras Fayyad and producer Kareem Abeed.
Abeed’s denial was reportedly made under under Section 212(f) of the Immigration and Nationality Act, according to the International Documentary Association.
That provision was cited by President Donald Trump as the basis for his first travel ban.
Trump’s latest version of the travel ban, which the US Supreme Court ruled could take effect in December, includes varied restrictions on foreign nationals entering the US from each of Chad, Iran, Libya, North Korea, Syria, Venezuela, Somalia and Yemen.
Kareem Abeed, the Syrian producer of Oscar-nominated ‘Last Men in Aleppo,’ has been denied a visa to enter the US to attend the 90th Annual Academy Awards, being held in Los Angeles on March 4
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has released a statement in solidarity with the Syrian producer and the rest of the film’s 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,’ the statement read.
‘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.’
The Syrian team’s documentary tells the story of a group called the White Helmets. This volunteer organization carries out search and rescue missions, in an attempt to save lives amid bombing attacks in the war-torn region.
President Donald Trump’s latest version of his travel ban, which the US Supreme Court ruled could take effect in December, includes varied restrictions on foreign nationals entering the US from each of Chad, Iran, Libya, North Korea, Syria, Venezuela, Somalia and Yemen; Trump is seen here spekaing during the Governors Ball for US governors attending the National Governors Association (NGA) winter meeting in the State Dining Room of the White House in Washington, DC on Sunday
‘Last Men in Aleppo’ tells the story of a group called the White Helmets, made up of volunteers who carry out search and rescue missions, in an attempt to save lives amid bombing attacks in the war-torn region; A still from the film is seen here
A short documentary on the same topic and produced by Netflix, titled ‘The White Helmets,’ won an Oscar in 2017.
Regarding Syria, from which the producer of ‘The Last Men in Aleppo’ hails, Trump’s latest proclamation banning travel from mostly Muslim countries, issued on September 24, reads as follows:
‘The government in Syria regularly fails to cooperate with the U.S. Government in identifying security risks; is the source of significant terrorist threats; has been designated as a state sponsor of terrorism; has significant inadequacies in identity-management protocols; and fails to share public-safety and terrorism information. Accordingly, the entry into the United States of nationals of Syria as immigrants and nonimmigrants is suspended.’
The first version of Trump’s travel ban was issued on January 27, 2017, and almost immediately faced court challenges across the US.
The first order included Iraq, Syria, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen, which are all predominantly Muslim countries.
Shortly after the first travel ban was issued, foreign-language film Oscar winner Asghar Farhadi, who was born in Khomeyni Shahr, Iran, protested the 89th Annual Academy Awards by not attending due to Trump’s policy.
His winning film, ‘The Salesman,’ is set against the backdrop of a Tehran, Iran production of Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman, and shows how violence has touched the lives of an innocent married couple of performers who have moved to the wrong place, at the wrong time.
Shortly after the first travel ban was issued, foreign-language film Oscar winner Asghar Farhadi, who was born in Khomeyni Shahr, Iran, protested the 89th Annual Academy Awards by not attending due to Trump’s policy; Farhadi is seen here at the Opening Gala dinner during the 70th annual Cannes Film Festival at Palais des Festivals on May 17, 2017 in Cannes, France
Iranian-American engineer/astronaut Anousheh Ansari accepts Best Foreign Language Film for ‘The Salesman’ on behalf of director Asghar Farhadi onstage during the 89th Annual Academy Awards at Hollywood & Highland Center on February 26, 2017 in Hollywood
Farhadi prepared a statement to be read when his film won, which was delivered by Iranian-American engineer Anousheh Ansari.
In addition to thanking the Academy for the award, Farhadi’s statement read as follows:
‘I’m sorry I’m not with you tonight. My absence is out of respect for the people in my country and those of other six nations whom have been disrespected by the inhumane law that bans entry of immigrants to the US. Dividing the world into the “us” and “our enemies” categories creates fear, a deceitful justification for aggression and war. These wars prevent democracy and human rights in countries which have themselves been victims of aggression.’
Farhadi then called on his colleagues to raise awareness about the things that make us more similar than we are different.
He added: ‘Filmmakers can turn their cameras to capture shared human qualities and break stereotypes of various nationalities and religions. They create empathy between “us” and “others,” an empathy which we need today more than ever.’
The official White House twitter account shared the following message on Sunday night:
‘Merit-based immigration reform will benefit American workers and relieve the strain imposed by our current system on Federal resources.’
Trump retweeted the statement, which included a video of him speaking about immigration reform at the Conservative Political Action Committee (CPAC) meeting, held over the weekend at the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center in National Harbor, Maryland.
Trump recently came under fire in January for claiming to advocate for merit-based immigration, but reportedly calling distraught nations, like Haiti and those in parts of Africa, ‘s***hole countries’ and saying the US should strive for more immigration from Norway, a country characterized by pale-skinned, Germanic inhabitants.
Trump has not directly responded to the statement by the Academy in support of Abeed, or commented on his denial of a visa to attend the Oscars.
‘Last Men in Aleppo’ will compete for the award of Best Documentary Feature against ‘Abacus: Small Enough to Jail,’ ‘Faces Places,’ ‘Icarus’ and ‘Strong Island.’
Trump waves goodbye after addressing the Conservative Political Action Conference at the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center on Friday in National Harbor, Maryland