Motaz Malhees, who plays a leading role in Kaouther Ben Hania’s Oscar-nominated The Voice Of Hind Rajab, has confirmed he will not be able to enter the US to attend this weekend’s Academy Awards.
“I am not allowed to enter the United States because of my Palestinian citizenship,” said Malhees in a post on his Instagram page yesterday (Thursday, March 12).
“It hurts. But here is the truth. You can block a passport. You cannot block a voice.
“I am Palestinian, and I stand with pride and dignity. My spirit will be with The Voice Of Hind Rajab that night. Good luck to all of you. Our story is bigger than any barrier, and it will be heard.”
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The film depicts the efforts of Palestinian Red Crescent volunteers to rescue Hind Rajab, a young Palestinian girl trapped in a car under fire from Israeli Defence Force soldiers. Based on real events from January 2024, the film uses the real audio recordings of Hind’s calls to the volunteers. Malhees plays Omar A. Alqam, a real-life volunteer for the Red Crescent, who has also been in attendance at events for the film including at Doha Film Festival in November.
Malhees’ castmates are expected to be in attendance, including those with Palestinian citizenship who also have dual citizenship with other nations.
US president Donald Trump expanded a US travel ban from January 1 this year, preventing nationals travelling on Palestinian Authority-issued documents from entering the US, alongside five other countries: Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, South Sudan and Syria.
Malhees was born in Jenin, Palestine, and is based in London. He will soon be seen in Channel 4 drama series The Siege alongside Danny Dyer and David Morrissey, based on Ben Macintyre’s book.
The Voice Of Hind Rajab debuted in competition at Venice Film Festival in September, winning the Grand Jury Prize as well as six parallel prizes.
It has played at festivals including San Sebastián, Gent, Chicago and BFI London Film Festival, and was nominated for best non-English language film at the Golden Globes, ahead of its Oscar nomination.
Watermelon Pictures, which is also one of the producers on the film, handles US distribution, with the film opening in December and recently passing the $900,000 mark. Altitude released the film in UK-Ireland in January.
Screen has contacted Malhees for comment.
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