The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has confirmed on Friday it will be “conducting a review of campaign procedures” in the wake of this past week’s Oscar nominations.
According to Variety, one particular nomination has come under scrutiny in the past few days – the Best Actress Oscar nomination for Andrea Riseborough and her work in the tiny indie feature “To Leslie” which grossed only $27,000 at the box office, despite universal praise for the film and her performance since it premiered at SXSW.
The inclusion was seen as a surprise, especially over the more heavily campaigned likes of Viola Davis (“The Woman King”) and Danielle Deadwyler (“Till”) who missed out. Questions have since arisen from rival campaigners regarding the targeted campaigning conducted by supporters on behalf of the actress and whether it potentially violated any rules or guidelines established by AMPAS. Variety indicates that no-one has filed a formal complaint.
Here’s the Academy statement released today regarding the review of campaign rules, though it doesn’t single out any actor or film specifically:
“It is the Academy’s goal to ensure that the Awards competition is conducted in a fair and ethical manner, and we are committed to ensuring an inclusive awards process.
We are conducting a review of the campaign procedures around this year’s nominees, to ensure that no guidelines were violated, and to inform us whether changes to the guidelines may be needed in a new era of social media and digital communication.
We have confidence in the integrity of our nomination and voting procedures, and support genuine grassroots campaigns for outstanding performances.”
Multiple sources indicate to the trade paper that the Academy is meeting next Tuesday where the topic “will be on the agenda”. Numerous celebrities have praised Risborough’s performance publicly and on social media, and the film has received stellar reviews. Riseborough also scored an Independent Spirit Award nomination for her work.
A more level-headed analysis of the story can be found from Greg Ellwood over at The Playlist who sums it up: “The Academy has so many campaign rules in place that these sorts of ‘come from behind’ results rarely happen anymore. But, in this case, it did.”
Source: Variety
