Khaled Khateeb worked as the cinematographer for the Oscar-nominated documentary short film "The White Helmets," but he won't be allowed to attend the 2017 Oscars to see if his film wins. According to the Hollywood Reporter, Khateeb is a 21-year-old filmmaker born in Syria who made the film about his nation's civil war.
U.S. officials block "White Helmets" filmmaker from entering country
The news comes from the Associated Press, who saw correspondence from inside the Trump administration that blocked the entrance to the United States by Khaled Khateeb.
According to the reports, this was a last minute decision as the 2017 Oscars take place Sunday night.
Khateeb was scheduled to arrive in Los Angeles on a flight from Istanbul. However, U.S. officials claimed that they found "derogatory information" about the "White Helmets" cinematographer. When asked for clarification, a spokesperson for Homeland Security only said "a valid travel document" was required but did not explain their actions.
"White Helmets" nominated for short documentary film
The movie that is nominated for an Oscar is "White Helmets." This is a 40-minute film that was released on Netflix about the rescue workers who tirelessly work to help save Syrians affected by the devastating civil war in their nation.
Many of these people died in air strikes ordered by the Syrian President and they earned a nomination for the Nobel Peace Prize last year.
The Oscars and "The White Helmets"
While the cinematographer of the film will not be allowed to attend the 2017 Oscars, there are two filmmakers who will still represent the film at the Academy Awards.
If the film wins, producer Joanna Natasegara and director Orlando von Einsiedel will accept the award for the movie. There are three men listed as cinematographers for the film and Khaled Khateeb is one of them but is not the official director of photography.
However, with all the press this is getting, the fact is that the director and producer of "The White Helmets" will attend the Oscars ceremony. Turkish authorities detained Khateeb this week before he could board the flight for the United States.
