The Academy has revealed the findings of its To Leslie review and, in good news for Andrea Riseborough, her best-actress Oscar nomination will remain intact. However, the statement released Tuesday afternoon suggests that there were some tactics that will lead to rule changes in the near future.
“The Academy has determined the activity in question does not rise to the level that the film’s nomination should be rescinded,” read a statement from Academy CEO Bill Kramer.
“However, we did discover social media and outreach campaigning tactics that caused concern. These tactics are being addressed with the responsible parties directly.”
Kramer went on to state that “the purpose of the Academy’s campaign regulations is to ensure a fair and ethical awards process.”
“Given this review, it is apparent that components of the regulations must be clarified to help create a better framework for respectful, inclusive, and unbiased campaigning,” he stated. “These changes will be made after this awards cycle and will be shared with our membership. The Academy strives to create an environment where votes are based solely on the artistic and technical merits of the eligible films and achievements.”
Since Riseborough’s surprise Oscar nomination for lead actress, complaints have been bubbling up about the way the campaign was run. To Leslie was a small independent movie that debuted at the South by Southwest film festival in March and was released by Momentum Pictures in October, earning just over $27,000 at the box office. That could have been the end of its story if it weren’t for a celebrity-driven social media campaign that exploded about a week before Oscar nominations voting.
Well-known actors like Jennifer Aniston, Melanie Lynskey, Edward Norton, Bradley Whitford, and Helen Hunt tweeted out their adoration for Riseborough’s performance as a small-town woman who had fallen down on her luck, grappling with substance abuse issues after winning a local lottery years before. Suddenly, a little film that wasn’t on anyone’s radar was the talk of the town, just as Oscar voting kicked off.
It was an unusual strategy—most awards campaigns begin at the fall festivals and include months of screenings, press, and precursor awards shows—but at the time it wasn’t clear if it was in any way breaking the Academy’s campaign rules. The Academy maintains the rules in an effort to create a more even playing field for films, in part so that those without as much money or with fewer connections can also have a chance.
Those supporting the film—including Riseborough’s well-connected manager, Jason Weinberg, and To Leslie director Michael Morris’s wife, Mary McCormack—described the campaign as a grassroots effort that had very little money and couldn’t afford to host thousands of screenings or take out advertisements in local trade magazines. But they did reach out aggressively to voting members of the acting branch, using their connections to get actors to watch the film.
The “social media tactics” could also refer to the actions of actor (and Academy member) Frances Fisher. The actress was effusive of her praise for the film on social media, but at one point, she argued that actors like Till’s Danielle Deadwyler and The Woman King’s Viola Davis were a lock for the category, so voters should focus their efforts on Riseborough. This would appear to go against the rules about referencing other contenders, which states: “In particular, any tactic that singles out ‘the competition’ by name or title is expressly forbidden.”
The Academy’s statement—and decision to deal with the questionable tactics privately with the parties involved—indicates that this chapter is closed for To Leslie. But we bet that we’ll be seeing some changes to the social media and outreach guidelines for Oscar campaigns going forward.
Rebecca Ford
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