A producer for the Oscar nominated documentary “Last Men in Aleppo,” Kareem Abeed, has been denied a visa and will not be able to attend the Oscar ceremony in Los Angeles on March 3rd.
Abeed is currently based in Turkey and holds a Syrian passport making him ineligible for a visa. A representative for the US Consulate in Turkey said in a statement that Abeed’s visa was denied under section 212(f) of the Immigration and Nationality Act. These guidelines were enacted after President Trump instated a travel ban which denies entry to residents of eight middle eastern countries including Syria.
The documentary for which Abeed is nominated focuses on The White Helmets, a humanitarian group based in Syria who work to provide aid to the citizens of the war-torn nation.
One of the co-founders of The White Helmets, Mahmoud Al-Hattar, will not be attending the ceremony either. He has had his request for a passport denied by the Syrian government who have claimed that The White Helmets have links to terrorist organizations. These claims have not been proven.
The Academy Of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has released a statement regarding the matter in which they express their support for Abeed. The statement reads:
“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.”
“Last Men in Aleppo” is nominated for Best Documentary Feature at the 90th Annual Academy Awards.
H/T Variety
