Oscars 2020: For Sama director says Trump should 'take responsibility for what is happening' in Syria

Filmmaker had a message for the president while walking the red carpet

Jacob Stolworthy
Monday 10 February 2020 00:52 GMT
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For Sama 2019 - film trailer

The director of Oscar-nominated documentary For Sama has said Trump needs to “take responsibility” for what is happen in Syria.

Waad al-Kateab, who is from Aleppo, walked the red carpet of the 92nd Academy Award just one week after winning a Bafta in London.

For Sama tracks five years in the life of al-Kateab’s as she experienced the uprising in Syria while falling in love, getting married and giving birth to her daughter.

When asked by Variety if she has a message for the president, she said: ”They really need to take responsibility about what is happening. Everything happened for Syrian people just because they were demanding freedom and dignity and this is what I think every leader over the world wants this country to be in.

“They should be responsible for this.”

She continued: “If the Russians weren’t backing an Assad regime, we would never be standing here telling you about a very harrowing story. We would [be speaking] about the end of [an] amazing revolution with a very successful end. Unfortunately, this didn’t happen because no one in the Western countries take their responsibility to this world.”

For the second year running, the Oscars will have no presenter.

Nominations-wise, Joker leads this year’s pack with 11, while The Irishman and Once Upon a Time in Hollywood follow close behind with 10.

Follow along with live updates from this year’s ceremony here and a full list of the evening’s winners here.

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