Syrian cinematographer of Oscar-winning documentary was denied USA entry

“I am absolutely delighted that we won an Oscar – it show us that people care about us and the people we serve”, said Khaled Khatib, a volunteer and cinematographer on the film, which won an Oscar for best short documentary at Sunday’s award ceremony.

Khatib said he was a teenager when war broke out in Syria and was inspired to record footage for the White Helmets group after seeing foreign journalists and TV crews travel to his home city of Aleppo to document the civil war.

Khaled Khatib, a Syrian cameraman on the Netflix doc, The White Helmets was barred from entering the USA and therefore couldn’t attend the Oscars.

Raed Saleh, the leader of the Syria Civil Defence, had also received a visa specifically for the ceremony but said he could no longer attend due to “intense air strikes” across Syria.

Following the announcement of the results, the White Helmets, who were also nominated for the 2016 Nobel Peace Prize, released a statement.

When producers of The White Helmets took the Oscars stage Sunday night, two members of their film family were missing. “I plan to travel to L.A. for the Oscars, where the film is nominated for an award”.

“I filmed simple people – carpenters, blacksmiths, street vendors – who joined the White Helmets as volunteers”, Fadi said. However, the Associated Press reported that internal US government correspondence indicated that he was not granted a special passport waiver from USA authorities that is required for his entry.

Khatib had hoped that his attendance at the Oscars would send a message to Syrian President Bashar Assad to stop bombing Syrian civilians.

Speaking in a video recorded in southern Turkey, he quoted from the Quran: “Whoever saves a life – it is as if he has saved mankind entirely”. Her husband, kidnapped by the Islamic State, is presumed dead; in former years, she said, she and he would watch the awards show each year. “We stand ready to welcome them”. “He’s thrilled because he just wants the world to know about The White Helmets”.

The White Helmets tweeted: “On the time of the announcement of the Oscars award, the rescue teams continue to search for civilians who have been missing under rubble in Ariha in rural Idlib and managed to rescue a child who was still alive”.