A Syrian cameraman and rescue worker whose documentary about the civil defence group known as the White Helmets has been nominated for an Oscar will not attend the awards ceremony because Damascus has cancelled his passport, the group said on Sunday.

The White Helmets operate a rescue service in rebel-held parts of Syria, which have been subjected to fierce bombardment by the government and Russia’s air force during the country’s civil war that has levelled whole city districts.

Their film, nominated in the Oscars short subject documentary category, gives a glimpse into the daily lives of the volunteers.

Syria’s government under President Bashar al-Assad has accused the group of being a front for al-Qaida and of faking footage of the aftermath of airstrikes for propaganda purposes, charges the White Helmets deny.

Two of the rescue workers, their leader, Raed Saleh, and Khaled Khatib, who is also a cameraman, were given visas by the US to visit the country for the Oscars ceremony in Los Angeles on Sunday night.



However, in a statement, the White Helmets said that Saleh would not be able to leave his work because of the high intensity of airstrikes, while Khatib could not attend because the Syrian government had cancelled his passport.

SYRIA CIVIL DEFENCE STATEMENT ON OSCARS | Saturday 25th February 2017#Oscar @netflix pic.twitter.com/2oEuxEHhtg — Khaled Khatib (@995Khaled) February 26, 2017

After 3days at airport, not allowed to travel to #oscars2017 - had US visa - but passport not accepted. Sad, but important work to do here. — Khaled Khatib (@995Khaled) February 25, 2017

“The Syrian Civil Defence are grateful for the platform the film The White Helmets is providing for their humanitarian message to reach around the world,” the statement said.

If the 40-minute Netflix documentary The White Helmets wins the Oscar, the award would go to the director, Orlando von Einsiedel, and the 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 Assad’s forces. The group also was nominated for last year’s Nobel peace prize.

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