Oscar-winning Iranian filmmaker Asghar Farhadi is nominated for another Academy Award this year, but he may not be able to attend the Feb. 26 ceremony due to Trump’s recent executive order suspending entry to the U.S. for citizens of seven predominantly Muslim countries.
Farhadi’s The Salesman, which follows a couple whose relationship is tested as they prepare for a performance of Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman, is in contention for best foreign-language film Oscar. In 2012, he won in the category for the film A Separation and was named one of TIME’s 100 Most Influential People.
On Saturday, Trita Parsi, the director of the National Iranian American Council, based in D.C., wrote in a Twitter post that Farhadi would not be allowed in the U.S. to attend next month’s awards to support his film.
In an interview with The New York Times, Parsi said he heard second-hand that Farhadi would not attend and had not yet spoken to the filmmaker directly. Meanwhile, the Academy called Trump’s ban “deeply troubling” in a statement issued Saturday. Farhadi could not immediately be reached for comment.
“The Academy celebrates achievement in the art of filmmaking, which seeks to transcend borders and speak to audiences around the world, regardless of national, ethnic, or religious differences,” the statement said. “As supporters of filmmakers—and the human rights of all people—around the globe, we find it extremely troubling that Asghar Farhadi, the director of the Oscar-winning film from Iran A Separation, along with the cast and crew of this year’s Oscar-nominated film The Salesman, could be barred from entering the country because of their religion or country of origin.”
On Friday, Trump signed an executive order that placed a 90-day ban on travelers from Iran, Iraq, Lybia, Sudan, Syria and Lebanon. A White House official said Saturday that green-card holders would need to apply for a waiver before being allowed back in the U.S. under the order.
When Trump announced plans for the ban on Thursday, Iranian star of The Salesman Taraneh Alidoosti wrote on social media that she would boycott the awards:
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Write to Eliana Dockterman at eliana.dockterman@time.com