Following their promise of conducting a review of campaign procedures back in January, The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has now handed down new and revised rules in regard to next year’s Oscar season.
The rules follow in the wake of the controversy over the viral campaign for Best Actress nominee Andrea Riseborough for her work in the tiny indie film “To Leslie”. Her nomination was reportedly seen as a targeted campaign conducted by supporters on behalf of the actress.
The new rules relate to various aspects of the awards race, including general and direct communications to Academy members, social media, screenings and more, and clearer penalties for violations.
Members can post on social media about performances but can NOT reveal their own voting preferences, decisions, and strategies, or discuss eligibility requirements. According to The Playlist, this is likely a direct response to an Instagram posting by an Academy member regarding Riseborough’s nomination.
In terms of private screenings, the Academy has been more lenient – members are now allowed to host as many private screenings as they would like, but they cannot be funded by any distributor or company associated with the film.
A big rule change on a whole other matter has been set for the International Feature Film category, where each nation’s selection committees must be comprised of at least 50% filmmakers (artists and/or craftspeople). That rule change is seen as an answer to concerns that too many government bureaucrats were influencing the film selections from specific countries.
Finally, the Live Action Short Film category will see voting privileges extended to all Academy members who opt-in to participate.
Source: The Playlist
