‘Voice of Hind Rajab’ Actor Can’t Attend Oscars Due to Trump’s Palestine Travel Ban: ‘You Can Block a Passport. You Cannot Block a Voice’
By Ellise Shafer
Published on March 13, 2026.
Motaz Malhees, the actor who plays the lead role in Kaouther Ben Hania's docudrama "The Voice of Hind Rajab," will not be attending the Oscars due to U.S. President Donald Trump's travel ban on Palestine, citing his Palestinian citizenship as a barrier. The film is nominated for best international feature by the Academy of the Year, alongside other films by Jafar Panahi, Kleber Mendonça Filho, and numerous others. Malheese, who plays a call center operator trying to help a Palestinian girl trapped in a car under fire in Gaza, expressed his disappointment at not being able to attend the Oscars.
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