"The White Helmets," a documentary about volunteer rescue workers in Syria, took home the Oscar for Best Documentary Short Sunday. It was the first Academy Award win for Netflix, which distributed the film.

Cinematographer and press officer for the Syrian White Helmets , Khaled Khatib, did not fly to the United States to attend the event. He tweeted that though he was able to obtain a US visa, he would not be going due to the "intensity of work," also saying that "our priority is helping our people."

"If we win this award, it will show people across Syria that people around the world support them," Khatib said before the awards. "It will give courage to every volunteer who wakes up every morning to run towards bombs." </s> A Syrian cinematographer whose film was nominated for Best Documentary Short at the Oscars was barred from entering the country by immigration authorities.

Khaled Khatib, 21, was preparing to make his way to Los Angeles when there was a last-minute decision to block him from traveling because officials found 'derogatory information' on the young Syrian.

Khatib will now not be able to attend Sunday night's Academy Awards ceremony, where his harrowing 40-minute Netflix documentary, The White Helmets, was nominated for an award.

According to internal Trump administration correspondence, the Department of Homeland Security decided at the last minute to block Khatib from traveling to Los Angeles for the Oscars.

Khatib was scheduled to arrive Saturday in Los Angeles on a Turkish Airlines flight departing from Istanbul. But his plans have been upended because of the 'derogatory information'.

Derogatory information is a broad category that can include anything from terror connections to passport irregularities.

Asked for comment, a spokeswoman for the Department of Homeland Security, Gillian Christensen, said, 'A valid travel document is required for travel to the United States.'

He said in a previous interview with CNN: 'If I cannot enter the US, I will not give up: we know that we have many friends in US, that there are people that share our humanitarian values. I look forward to meeting them all one day.'

The White Helmets has been nominated for Best Documentary Short. If the film wins the Oscar, the award would go to director Orlando von Einsiedel and producer Joanna Natasegara.

Khatib is one of three people credited for cinematography; Franklin Dow is the film's director of photography.

The film focuses on the rescue workers who risk their lives to save Syrians affected by civil war. Many of the group's members have been killed by Syrian President Bashar Assad's air forces. The group also was nominated for last year's Nobel Peace Prize.

'The White Helmets' includes emblematic scenes of the deadly 6-year-old conflict: people digging through destroyed homes looking for survivors, at constant risk of 'double tap' attacks that target first responders after they've arrived at the scene of a strike.

He had been issued a visa to attend the ceremony with Hollywood's biggest stars. But Turkish authorities detained him this week, according to the internal U.S. government correspondence, and he suddenly needed a passport waiver from the United States to enter the country.

The correspondence indicated he would not receive such a waiver. There was no explanation in the correspondence for why Turkey detained Khatib. </s> The White Helmets may have won Best Documentary Short at the 2017 Academy Awards, but its cinematographer has been barred from entering the US to attend the ceremony, according to the Associated Press.

AP reports that the Department of Homeland Security blocked Khaled Khatib after discovering "derogatory information" about him, with Khatib having made plans to fly from Istanbul to Los Angeles the day before the ceremony.

Khatib was reportedly detained by Turkish officials earlier in the week for undisclosed reasons, needing a passport waiver which was denied; he had planned to attend the ceremony after the travel ban was lifted.

Trump had ordered a four-month ban on all refugees from entering the country as well as enacting an indefinite ban on all those who hail from Syria. For 90 days, visas were not to be issued to nationals from Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen.

The Department of Homeland Security has since suspended all enforcement of Trump's immigration ban following a nationwide locking of the executive order from federal judge James Robart in Washington.



 Khatib was a member of the White Helmets, an organisation which searches for survivors in the rubble of bombed buildings, but served as cinematographer for the Netflix documentary.

To follow all the happenings at this year’s Oscars ceremony, check out our live blog here. You can find a list of all the winners here. </s> “The White Helmets,” a documentary about volunteer rescue workers in Syria, took home the Oscar for Best Documentary Short Sunday.

It was the first Academy Award win for Netflix, which distributed the film.

Khaled Khatib, a cinematographer and press officer for the Syrian White Helmets, thanked supporters on Twitter.

“The world stands with the white helmets. Standing ovation at the Oscars. We have won,” he said.

The 40-minute film follows three rescue workers with the White Helmets — also known as the Syrian Civil Defense — who train in Turkey to provide emergency medical assistance to civilians caught in Syria’s civil war.

“If we win this award, it will show people across Syria that people around the world support them,” Khatib told CNN before the awards. “It will give courage to every volunteer who wakes up every morning to run towards bombs.”

Khatib was not able to fly to the United States to attend the event.

In a statement Sunday, the White Helmets said Khatib couldn’t attend the Oscars “due to his passport being canceled by the Syrian regime, despite having been issued a US visa specifically to attend the awards ceremony.”

The Syrian government did not comment on the claims.

When asked about Khaled’s situation, US Department of Homeland Security spokesperson Gillian Christensen told CNN: “A valid travel document is required for travel to the United States.”

‘I wish this war would stop’

In an interview with CNN before the Oscars, Khatib spoke of his hopes for Syria as well as his experiences working with the White Helmets.

“I took a camera and started volunteering for (them) because I wanted the world to know what the White Helmets are doing and what is happening in Syria,” he said.

Khatib recalled the moment the White Helmets rescued a child from under the rubble during one of his first rescue missions.

“I recorded this moment. It got a lot of YouTube views, and I took the decision to continue my work,” he said. “It is easy for anyone to kill someone, but it’s very hard and very difficult to save lives.”

When asked about his hopes for the future, Khatib said he hoped to finish his education which had been put on hold by the war.

“I wish this war would stop tomorrow,” he said. “We want to rebuild Syria, rebuild the stores, hospitals, the markets and the universities. We want to liberate Syria and let the refugees return to the country.” </s> The White Helmets wins in best short documentary category at 89th Academy Awards in Los Angeles.

A film celebrating the White Helmets - a volunteer rescue group that operates in rebel-held parts of Syria - has scooped an Oscar for best short documentary

The eponymously titled White Helmets, a 40-minute Netflix film, gives a window into lives of the group's volunteers as they scramble to pull people from the rubble of bombed out building flatted in bombing raids.

Accepting the Academy Award, director Orlando von Einsiedel urged the audience to stand up and call for an end to Syria's six-year civil war, which led to a standing ovation.

Von Einsiedel read out a statement from White Helmets founder Raed al-Saleh, in which he thanked the academy and said the group had saved tens of thousands of lives since it was formed in 2014.

"We are so grateful that this film has highlighted our work to the world. Our organisation is guided by a verse from the Quran: to save one life is to save all of humanity," Saleh's statement said.

"We have saved more than 82,000 Syrian lives. I invite anyone here who hears me to work on the side of life to stop the bloodshed in Syria and around the world."

READ MORE: Year of diversity at Oscars 'does little to even score'

Rescue workers in Syria are at risk of being killed in so-called "double tap" air raids that target them as they arrive at the scene of an air strike. The group says that many of its volunteers have been killed.

Syrian cinematographer Khaled Khatib who worked on the documentary was unable to attend after being barred from entering the United States , despite being granted a visa .

US officials reportedly discovered "derogatory information" about him, according to a document seen by the Associated Press news agency .

The film's producer Joanna Natasegara told AP on Sunday that the decision was "sad and confusing."

The incident happened after President Donald Trump's now halted temporary travel ban , which targeted seven Muslim-majority countries, including Syria.

The Oscars is the highlight of the Tinseltown calendar, and wraps up two months of glittering prize galas. </s> This is a developing story.

The 40-minute documentary The White Helmets won the Oscar for Documentary Short on February 26, but two of the film’s subjects — one of whom also served as one of its three cinematographers — weren’t at the ceremony in Los Angeles.

On Saturday, the Associated Press reported that the United States had refused entry to Syrian cinematographer Khaled Khatib, who was scheduled to arrive in Los Angeles on a Turkish Airlines flight from Istanbul the day before the awards. Khatib — who is himself a member of the Syrian Civil Defense, the group profiled in the film — was said to have been denied entry to the US after officials from the Department of Homeland Security said they had discovered “derogatory information” about him.

Before leaving Istanbul, Khatib was detained by Turkish authorities, who said the US would now also require a passport waiver to allow him to enter the country. A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson told the AP that “a valid travel document is required for travel to the United States,” declining to provide further information.

Then, in a statement that Khatib posted to his Twitter account on Sunday, the Syrian Civil Defense said that its leader, Raed Saleh, needed to remain in the country instead of attending the Oscars because the “intense air strikes across the country mean he must focus on work inside Syria.”

Khatib and Saleh had been previously issued visas to attend the ceremony.

The statement went on to say that Khatib had planned to attend, but “was not able to travel to the Oscars due to his passport being cancelled by the Syrian regime, despite having been issued a US visa specifically to attend the awards ceremony.”

Later on Sunday, Khatib spoke with NBC News by phone, and said that Turkish officials had told him it was his visa that was canceled when he arrived at the airport on Tuesday. “Khatib said he wanted to attend the ceremony, but circumstances did not allow it, calling his experience ‘naseeb’— an Arabic expression meaning ‘fate,’” according to NBC’s story.

According to the Guardian, the Syrian government under President Bashar al-Assad of Syria has accused the Syria Civil Defense of being a front for al-Qaeda and “of faking footage of the aftermath of airstrikes for propaganda purposes.” The group has denied this charge.

The White Helmets (which is streaming on Netflix) takes its title from the colloquial name of the Syria Civil Defense, a group of ordinary Syrian men — former builders, tailors, and artisans — who work heroically and tirelessly to extract victims from beneath the rubble in places like Aleppo. The group was nominated for a Nobel Prize in 2016, and has saved more than 58,000 people since 2013.

In a February 17 statement, Khatib had said, “It is so important that people see the film. It is important that people understand that Syria has people who want the same things they want: peace, jobs, family and to live without the fear of bombs. If we win this award, it will show people across Syria that people around the world support them. It will give courage to every volunteer who wakes up every morning to run towards bombs."

The volatile political situation around the globe has left its mark on the Oscars ceremony. In January, the celebrated Iranian director Asghar Farhadi, whose film The Salesman is nominated for Best Foreign Picture, announced that he would not attend the ceremony — even if he were afforded a visa to do so — in protest of the US’s immigration ban. The film’s star, Taraneh Alidoosti, stated that she would boycott as well.

And in a nearly unprecedented move, the five directors whose films are nominated for Best Foreign Picture penned a joint letter released on Friday, February 24, expressing “unanimous and emphatic disapproval of the climate of fanaticism and nationalism we see today in the U.S. and in so many other countries.” The signees are Farhadi, Maren Ade of Germany, Martin Zandervliet of Denmark, Hannes Holm of Sweden, and Martin Butler and Bentley Dean of Australia.

“Human rights are not something you have to apply for,” the directors wrote. “They simply exist — for everybody. For this reason, we dedicate this award to all the people, artists, journalists and activists who are working to foster unity and understanding, and who uphold freedom of expression and human dignity — values whose protection is now more important than ever.”

Watch the trailer for The White Helmets: </s> Khaled Khateeb, the Syrian cinematographer who worked on the Oscar-nominated film The White Helmets, has been barred from attending the awards show on Sunday, February 26.

The Associated Press reported that the Department of Homeland Security has blocked Khateeb, 21, from entering the United States after finding "derogatory information," a vague term that can include anything from passport irregularities to terror connections. When the news outlet asked a spokeswoman for the federal agency about the findings, she said, "A valid travel document is required for travel to the United States."

Khateeb was scheduled to arrive in Los Angeles on Saturday, February 25, on a Turkish Airlines flight departing from Istanbul. He had previously been issued a visa to attend the Oscars but, at the last minute, was told he needed a passport waiver from the U.S. to enter the country. Citing internal correspondence from President Donald Trump's administration, the AP reported that the filmmaker "would not receive" the necessary waiver, but further explanation was not provided.



The White Helmets, a 40-minute Netflix documentary chronicling Syria's civil war, is nominated for Best Documentary Short. Should the film win the Oscar on Sunday night, director Orlando von Einsiedel and producer Joanna Natasegara would be presented with the award, according to the AP.

After Trump, 70, signed his executive order on immigration earlier this month, Khateeb vowed to attend the Oscars in a statement issued to Entertainment Weekly. His comments came after Asghar Farhadi, the Iranian filmmaker behind the Oscar-nominated film The Salesman, announced his plans to protest the ceremony, whether he would be allowed to enter the U.S. or not.

"I plan to travel to L.A. for the Oscars, where the film is nominated for an award," Khateeb previously said. "If I cannot enter the U.S., I will not give up: We know that we have many friends in the U.S., that there are people that share our humanitarian values. I look forward to meeting them all one day."



Farhadi, 44, and his fellow Best Foreign Language Film nominees released a joint statement on Friday, February 24, to address the current political climate. "On behalf of all nominees, we would like to express our unanimous and empathic disapproval of the climate of fanaticism and nationalism we see today in the U.S. and in so many other countries, in part of the population and, most unfortunately of all, among leading politicians," Farhadi, Denmark's Martin Zandvliet (Land of Mine), Sweden's Hannes Holm (A Man Called Ove), Germany's Maren Ade (Toni Erdmann) and Australia's Martin Butler and Bentley Dean (Tanna) said, per JustJared.

"Human rights are not something you have to apply for," the directors continued. "They simply exist — for everybody. For this reason, we dedicate this award to all the people, artists, journalists and activists who are working to foster unity and understanding, and who uphold freedom of expression and human dignity — values whose protection is now more important than ever. By dedicating the Oscar to them, we wish to express to them our deep respect and solidarity."



Sign up now for the Us Weekly newsletter to get breaking celebrity news, hot pics and more delivered straight to your inbox! </s> US bars Syrian cameraman from entering to attend Oscars after documentary nomination on emergency rescuers.

A Syrian cinematographer who worked on an Oscar-nominated documentary has been barred from entering the United States to attend Sunday's Academy Awards ceremony.

Despite being granted a US visa, Khaled Khatib, 21 - who documented Syria's civil war in the film The White Helmets - was scheduled to depart from the Turkish capital Istanbul on Saturday before US officials reportedly discovered "derogatory information" about him.

The US Department of Homeland Security at the last minute blocked Khatib from travelling to Los Angeles, saying he now needed a new passport waiver, according to documents seen by The Associated Press news agency.

Derogatory information is a broad term that includes a variety of allegations, ranging from connections to attacks to passport irregularities.

According to the Department of Homeland Security correspondence, Khatib was detained by Turkish authorities in Istanbul last week, which led to the US barring him.

"A valid travel document is required for travel to the United States," Department of Homeland Security spokeswoman Gillian Christensen told AP.

It was unclear why he was arrested by Turkish authorities, and his current whereabouts are unknown.

Calls and emails to Khatib were not answered.

The incident took place less than a month following President Donald Trump's now suspended temporary travel ban, which restricted entry of people from seven Muslim-majority countries, including Syria.

Khatib along with fellow rescue worker Raed al-Saleh were both granted visas earlier this month to attend the Oscars on Sunday.

In a Twitter post, Saleh said on Friday they would not be attending the event because they are busy helping people caught in the conflict.

The White Helmets is a 40-minute Netflix documentary nominated in the Oscars' short documentary category. It gives a glimpse of the daily lives of the group - also known as Syria Civil Defence - whose members volunteer as emergency rescue workers in rebel-held parts of Syria.

Among the film's harrowing scenes are images of people digging through demolished homes searching for potential survivors after air strikes or artillery barrages.

Volunteer medical workers are at risk of being killed in "double tap" attacks that target first-responders arriving at the scene and many have died.

The group was also nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize last year.

Since the start of the Syrian war that erupted in March 2011, the United Nations estimates nearly 400,000 people have been killed and more than half the population has been forced to flee the country. </s> While we were expecting Amazon to score an Oscar first for Manchester by the Sea, Netflix ended up beating out that film with a Best Documentary (Short Subject) Oscar for The White Helmets. Directed by Orlando von Einsiedel, the film centers on a group of volunteer rescue workers for the Syrian Civil Defense Force, also known as "The White Helmets," who risk their lives to help civilians in that war-torn country. The group has saved more than 60,000 lives so far, and they've also been nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize. As you might have guessed, The White Helmets is available to watch on Netflix now. </s> LOS ANGELES — The Latest on the 89th Academy Awards (all times local):

The Syrian war documentary “The White Helmets” has won the short documentary Academy Award.

The Netflix film focuses on the rescue workers who risk their lives to save Syrians affected by civil war. Director Orlando von Einsiedel urged Oscar attendees to stand up to demonstrate their support for a quick end to the Syrian civil war, which prompted a standing ovation.

Von Einsiedel also read a statement from the group’s founder in which he thanked the academy for the recognition and stating that the organization had saved 81,000 lives.

Many of the group’s members have been killed by Syrian President Bashar Assad’s air forces. One of the film’s cinematographers, 21-year-old Syrian Khaled Khateeb was unable to attend Sunday’s ceremony after his entry into the United States was blocked.

Producer Joanna Natasegara told The Associated Press on the red carpet Sunday that the decision “sad and confusing.”

Department of Homeland Security correspondence reviewed by the AP showed that the 21-year-old was blocked because of “derogatory information” — a broad category that can include anything from terror connections to passport irregularities.

On his 21st nomination, the 59-year-old sound re-recording engineer has won for sound mixing on “Hacksaw Ridge.”

Until Sunday he had owned the record for most nominations without a win, having set that mark in 2008 with his 18th nomination and loss.

He shared the trophy with three others for their work on the Mel Gibson-directed movie.

A giddy O’Connell clutched his gold statue and told the audience he couldn’t even express how much it meant to him.

He explained that his late mother got him a job in sound mixing 39 years ago and he asked her how he could thank her. He says she told him he could win an Oscar and thank her from the stage.

O’Connell did just that, saying he knows his mother is looking down on him.

Just like at the movies, movie stars at this year’s Academy Awards are munching on candy and popcorn as they watch the show unfold.

About an hour into the show, bags filled with various movie treats came floating down from the ceiling and into the audience’s hands. A few surprised recipients were plunked on the head by them.

More treats were promised later.

Not everybody in the audience dug in, however. Some people in the upper balconies tossed their bags down to people below.

Host Jimmy Kimmel, perhaps in a nod to the show’s notorious length, quipped that perhaps the Oscars should be handed out this way next year.

“Zootopia” has won the best animated film Academy Award .

The Disney film tells the story of an earnest rabbit who is the first of her kind to become a police officer in a city in which predators and prey live together in a sometimes fragile peace.

The winner of the best animated short Oscar is “Piper.”

Iran’s “The Salesman” has won the Academy Award for best foreign language film.

It is the second win in the category for writer-director Asghar Farhadi, who previously won for 2011’s “A Separation.” He boycotted the Oscars in protest of the travel ban imposed by President Donald Trump’s administration.

In a statement read on his behalf, Farhadi wrote that filmmakers create empathy between others, and that is more needed today than ever.

“The Salesman” is a thriller about a married couple’s attempts to find peace and justice in Tehran after the wife is attacked in her apartment.

Viola Davis has won the supporting actress Academy Award for her role in “Fences.”

Davis won for her portrayal of a mother determined to hold her family together despite the rages of her husband, who is played by best actor nominee Denzel Washington.

The Oscar win comes in a role that Davis previously won a Tony Award for when she starred opposite Washington in a Broadway revival of “Fences.” The film is the first big-screen adaptation of an August Wilson play.

Davis said in her acceptance speech, “Here’s to August Wilson who exhumed and exalted the ordinary people.” She also praised Washington and her parents, breaking down in tears.

It’s not only actors getting standing ovations at Sunday’s Oscars — the audience gave a resounding welcome to a former NASA mathematician who is an inspiration for the film “Hidden Figures.”

Mathematician Katherine Johnson was brought out on stage to thunderous applause in an introduction by the actresses who portrayed Johnson and other female black mathematicians in the best picture nominee.

At least one woman in the audience was seen crying at the recognition for Johnson, who was part of a group of black women who helped put NASA ahead in the Space Race against the Soviet Union.

Johnson is played in the film by Taraji P. Henson.

The 98-year-old Johnson wore a blue dress and was brought out in a wheelchair during Sunday’s ceremony. She thanked the audience for their resounding welcome.

A documentary examining the broad implications of O.J. Simpson’s trial and acquittal on murder charges has won the Oscar for best documentary.

The ESPN film “O.J.: Made in America” runs seven hours and 47 minutes and is the longest film to win an Academy Award.

“O.J.” documentary director Ezra Edelman paid tribute to Simpson’s late wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and Ron Goldman, whose brutal killings led to the so-called “Trial of the Century” against the former NFL great.

The film is one of several documentary contenders this year that examine racial issues in America, including “I Am Not Your Negro” and “13th.”

Mahershala Ali is the winner of the Academy Award for best supporting actor for his “Moonlight” role.

Ali won for his first Oscar-nominated role, in which he plays a Miami drug dealer who mentors a young boy who is being teased and bullied.

It has been a breakout year for Ali, who starred on the Netflix series “Luke Cage” and also had a role in another Oscar-nominated film, “Hidden Figures.”

Ali paid tribute to his teachers and “Moonlight” director Barry Jenkins in his acceptance speech and thanked his wife, who gave birth to their daughter four days ago.

The Oscars have started off on an upbeat note with Justin Timberlake dancing in the aisles of the Dolby Theater and interacting with some of Hollywood’s biggest stars.

Timberlake kicked off the show with a performance of his Oscar-nominated song “Can’t Stop the Feeling” that included a high-five with Denzel Washington. Actor Javiar Bardem danced like he was in a nightclub.

The singer had promised a politics-free opening to the 89th annual Oscars, and he delivered.

Host Jimmy Kimmel kept the mood light in his opening, telling Timberlake that if his former bandmates in ‘N Sync were watching, they’d let him back into the band.

Kimmel didn’t stray entirely from politics, and urged audience members to reach out to someone with opposite views from them. He also took a shot at President Donald Trump, saying his policies had made the Oscars seem less racist.

In a sea of stunning Oscars fashion, Ruth Negga’s long-sleeved custom Valentino gown is a scene-stealer and landed the actress on several best-dressed lists for the evening.

Negga, who is a best actress nominee for “Loving,” combined the high lace collar with responsibly sourced rubies. She also included one accessory that several other stars included — a blue ribbon supporting the American Civil Liberties Union.

Negga was among those cited by People magazine as the best dressed of the evening. Other popular looks included a velvet gown worn by Taraji P. Henson, and a fringe gown sported by best actress nominee Emma Stone.

Opinion online was mixed about Halle Berry, who rocked a huge head of tousled curls along with a one-shoulder dress.

While the men get less scrutiny, many online noted the ruffles on best actor nominee Ryan Gosling’s tuxedo shirt, with some likening it to a look from a 1970s prom.

Each celebrity who strolls the Oscars red carpet seems to have their own style as they pass their cheering fans in the bleachers.

Some, like Emma Stone and Jeff Bridges, smile politely and wave while others just walk by, seemingly oblivious to the adulation.

Laura Dern and Nicole Kidman, meanwhile, joined hands and lifted them in a cheer of their own.

As for those in the bleachers, when they aren’t cheering many are gossiping.

Among the comments overheard: Vince Vaughn and Dern are tall and Michael J. Fox is really short.

Justin Timberlake is the king of the Oscars red carpet, as least as far as the bleacher fans are concerned.

While some celebrities like Viggo Mortensen and Scarlett Johansson ignore the bleacher crowd, Timberlake stopped to lead a cheering war between two sections.

As wife Jessica Biel stood by in a stunning gold dress, Timberlake put his hand to his ear to draw applause.

Then he’d judge which section was winning by raising and lowering his hands

Justin Timberlake says the beginning of the Oscars is going to be free of politics.

Timberlake tells The Associated Press, “Watch the top of the show, it will be very un-political. I can promise you that.”

It is an apparent tease to Timberlake’s performance of his Oscar-nominated song, “Can’t Stop the Feeling,” which is from the animated film “Trolls.”

Timberlake says he’s honored that the film academy honored such a feel-good song. Timberlake says “I think the world could use a little bit of that.”

Even before Sunday’s ceremony begins, politics is on the mind of many nominees. Some top nominees, including Ruth Negga and director Barry Jenkins, are wearing blue ribbons supporting the American Civil Liberties Union.

Others, including documentary nominee Ava DuVernay and best actor nominee Andrew Garfield, say art is inherently political and winners should express their feelings about the current political climate if they wish.

It was a no-brainer for Lin-Manuel Miranda when it came to picking a date for the Oscars.

It’s his mother, Luz, who got him there after all.

Miranda’s mother says she stayed up late watching the Oscars every year and told her son he would be there someday.

To which her son adds that she earned the honor “by calling dibs when I was 10 years old.”

Stars are mixing high fashion with some advocacy on the Oscars red carpet.

Several top nominees are sporting blue ribbons supporting the American Civil Liberties Union, including best actress nominee Ruth Negga and best original song nominee Lin-Manuel Miranda.

Miranda brought his mother to the Oscars, and she also prominently displayed the ribbon. The ACLU is among the groups suing over a travel ban imposed by President Donald Trump’s administration that has been placed on hold by federal courts.

Director Barry Jenkins planned to wear one, and realized in the middle of a red carpet interview that he had lost it.

Jenkins, who is nominated for best director for “Moonlight,” says he does not yet know what he would say if he wins an Oscar Sunday. He says, “I think art is inherently political,” and he supports any artists who speak out about politics at the awards show.

Best actor nominee Casey Affleck also wore the ribbon at Saturday’s Independent Spirit Awards, where he won the award for best male lead.

First rule for Oscar bleachers fans: Yell loudly if you want to get a celebrity’s attention.

That’s what a group of fans did — repeatedly — until Ruth Negga politely turned away from a red carpet TV interview to give them a wave.

Before she could, however, one of her earrings fell out. Fortunately her team saved it, she smiled and waved, then moved on.

After waving to the crowd, Lin-Manual Miranda made sure bleacher fans didn’t overlook the person he was with. He pointed to her and mouthed the words, “My Mom.”

Jackie Chan, beaming ear to ear, pretended to toss one of two stuffed pandas he was carrying into the crowd. A disappointed groan moved through the bleachers when he moved on.

Jackie Chan has brought some furry friends to walk with him on the Oscars red carpet.

The action star did red carpet interviews clutching two plush panda toys. He told The Associated Press that he is a panda ambassador and also owns two of the bears in China.

The bears are dressed in yellow jackets and silver boots with UNICEF name tags, while Chan is sporting more traditional formal attire. Chan says he takes the bears with him everywhere, snapping photos with them. He says he may sell them for the charity.

Chan was a recipient of an honorary Oscar last year.

Celebrities have begun arriving on the red carpet in Hollywood ahead of the 89th Academy Awards.

Hundreds of people sitting in the fan bleachers shouted excitedly when actor Jerry O’Connell walked by.

Broadway star Cynthia Erivo is also among the first arrivals, her shock of white hair a beacon in the crowd.

The weather is slightly chilly and there’s the possibility of sprinkles from gray clouds overhead.
The Netflix "documentary" The White Helmets, a film about the Syrian Civil War, wins the Best Documentary Short.The cinematographer Khaled Khatib who is himself a member of the rebel-aligned group couldn't attend the ceremony because officials from the Department of Homeland Security discovered "derogatory information" about him.