Washington DC, March 29 -- A group of Hollywood actors and Oscar voters has slammed the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) for its response to the recent assault and arrest of Palestinian filmmaker Hamdan Ballal, reported The Hollywood Reporter.

Around 600 Oscar voters, including Ava DuVernay, Olivia Colman, and Javier Bardem, signed an open letter criticizing the Academy's lack of support.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, the letter, updated on Friday, read: "It is indefensible for an organization to recognize a film with an award in the first week of March and then fail to defend its filmmakers just a few weeks later."

The reaction comes after AMPAS leaders Bill Kramer and Janet Yang issued a statement on Wednesd...