Hollywood star Jodie Foster has told protesters it is "time to resist" during a rally against Donald Trump's hard-line immigration policies.

Speaking ahead of the Academy Awards on Sunday night, the Oscar-winning actress warned of an "attack on democracy" and urged people to "engage".

She was addressing a 1,200-strong crowd outside the Beverly Hills headquarters of United Talent Agency (UTA), which cancelled its Oscars party to stage the demonstration.

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The US President is seeking to revive his bid to ban refugees and immigrants from seven mostly Muslim countries from entering the country, after the US courts blocked the implementation of a previous executive order.


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The Silence Of The Lambs star said: "I'm not somebody who feels very comfortable using my public face for activism.

"This year is a very different year and it's time to show up.

"It's the singular time in history. It's time to engage.

"We know the first attack on democracy is an assault on free expression and civil liberties and this relentless war on truth.

"Unfortunately it's too familiar because history repeats itself.

"No matter where you're born and no matter who you voted for, red or blue, whether you're white, black or brown and all the colours of the identity rainbow - this is our time to resist.

"It's our time to show up and demand answers. It's our time to tell our elected officials to do their job."

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Other speakers at the rally were Back to the Future star Michael J Fox and Oscar-nominated Iranian filmmaker Asghar Farhadi, who spoke via video from Tehran.

Farhadi previously said he would boycott Sunday's ceremony as a result of President Donald Trump's travel ban on seven Muslim majority countries.

He said: "It is comforting to know that at a time when some politicians are trying to promote hate by creating divisions between cultures, religions and nationalities, the cinema community has joined the people in a common show of unity to announce its opposition.

"I hope this unity will continue and spread to fight other injustices."

Fox, who was born in Canada, became a US citizen around 20 years ago.

He said he remembered being annoyed at the eight-year process but now wondered what he was complaining about.

Fox said turning immigrants away is "an assault on human dignity".

:: You can watch the Oscars ceremony exclusively on Sky Cinema from 11pm on Sunday and news of the winners live from Hollywood on Sky News from 6am Monday.