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 "The White Helmets," nominated in the Oscars short subject
documentary category, gives a glimpse of the daily lives of the
Syrian Civil Defense, also known as the White Helmets, civilians
who volunteer as rescue workers in the war-ravaged country.
The founder of the White Helmets, Raed Saleh, and a young Syrian
rescue worker who shot scenes for the documentary are unable to
attend the Feb. 26 Oscars ceremony due to Trump's executive
order that bars entry to the United States for citizens from
Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen for 90 days.
"We feel even more responsibility and pressure to make sure that
the White Helmets' message is shared with the world if they
cannot be here to share it," the film's producer Joanna
Natasegara told Reuters at a luncheon for Oscar nominees in
Beverly Hills this week.
The documentary, available on Netflix, aims to convey the "hope,
inspiration and collaboration" of the White Helmets amid the
years-long civil war, Natasegara said.
The absence of the two White Helmets volunteers at the Oscars
prevents them from being recognized and celebrated, director
Orlando von Einsiedel said.
"In this particular moment, the voices of Syrians and people
from the Middle East are so important to be heard in order to
break down misunderstandings and stereotypes," he said.
Trump's temporary travel ban has been a deeply divisive issue
across the nation. The president defended the measure as
necessary for national security, whilst critics have challenged
the ban as discriminatory against Muslims.
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On Tuesday, a federal appeals court heard arguments in the action
and whether a federal judge was wrong to suspend the temporary
travel ban.
The head of the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences,
organizers of the Oscars, noted the "empty chairs" in the room
during the luncheon, adding that the United States should not put
barriers in the way of artists from around the world.
Iranian director Asghar Farhadi and actress Taraneh Alidoosti, who
stars in his foreign-language nominated film "The Salesman," said
last week they would boycott the Academy Awards to protest Trump's
travel restrictions.
The "White Helmets" filmmakers are already planning a scripted
feature-length movie on the Syrian rescue workers, with
Oscar-winning actor George Clooney developing the project.
(Reporting by Piya Sinha-Roy; Editing by Lisa Shumaker)
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