It is "extremely troubling" that a US ban on travellers from seven Muslim-majority countries could stop an Iranian filmmaker from attending the Oscars, the academy which hosts the awards said Saturday.
Asghar Farhadi may be among those affected by US President Donald Trump's Friday order, which bars travellers from Iran and six other countries from entering the US for 90 days.
A spokeswoman for the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences said it celebrated filmmaking achievements "regardless of national, ethnic, or religious differences."
"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," she continued.
Farhadi's office said earlier Saturday the director was considering boycotting the ceremony, and would make his decision public in the coming days, according to the news agency ISNA.
The 45-year-old director isn't directly subject to the new US policy, his office also said, without providing further explanation.
