Who is Motaz Malhees? Palestinian actor who stars in Oscar-nominated film 'The Voice of Hind Rajab' misses Academy Awards night; Here’s why

Oscars 2026: Palestinian actor Motaz Malhees missed out at the 2026 Academy Awards ceremony, also known as the Oscars, at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. He stars in the Oscar-nominated film 'The Voice of Hind Rajab.' Speaking on his absence, Kaouther Ben Hania, the director of the movie, said, "My lead actor is not here because he is Palestinian.” She further stated that the ban on Palestinians imposed by US President Donald Trump blocked his entry, and he was not absent because “he didn’t want to be here.”





The same reason was also cited by Malhees a few days ahead of the Oscars 2026. He had said that a travel ban imposed by the Trump administration was preventing him ‌from attending this weekend's Academy Awards, whose nominees include a movie in which he has a starring role.

"The Voice of Hind Rajab," a film about a five-year-old Palestinian girl killed by Israeli forces in Gaza in 2024, has been Oscar-nominated for Best International Feature Film. Malhees, who plays the role of a call center ⁠operator attempting to help her, said he cannot attend the Academy Awards show, known as the Oscars, because he has been barred from entering the U.S.

"I am not allowed to enter the United States because of my Palestinian citizenship," Malhees said on Instagram, adding "it hurts" that he would not attend the Oscars. In a December proclamation restricting entry of foreign nationals, President Donald Trump said he had "determined to fully restrict and limit the entry of individuals using travel documents issued or endorsed by the Palestinian Authority," as quoted by Reuters.

The proclamation restricting ‌entry ⁠of people from some countries cited security reasons and went into effect on January 1, according to the State Department's website.

Who is Motaz Malhees?

Motaz Malhees is an actor who was born in 1992 in Jenin, Palestine. He stepped into the workd of acting at the age of nine and went on to join The Freedom Theatre Professional Acting School at 16, according to IMDb. He was one of Juliano Mer Khamis students and he graduated three years later joining an elite group of Palestinian professional actors.

Malhees has performed in theatre, film and comedy, all over the world, most recently in the Middle East, Europe, the USA, South East Asia, and Australia. Since graduating from The Freedom Theatre he has gone on to training with internationally renowned directors such as Nabil Al- Raee (The Freedom Theatre), Di Trevis (Royal Shakespeare Company), Thomas Ostermeier (Schaubühne Berlin) and Katrien van Beurden (Theatre Hotel Courage), and Amir Nizar Zoubi.