The unanticipated nomination of British actress Andrea Riseborough for the Oscar for the best actress has raised concerns about how studios campaign for the awards and reignited discussions about opportunity and racism in the film industry.
By the time the red carpet for the Academy Awards is rolled out each year, the majority of nominees have spent months touring the globe, attending premieres and screenings, and networking with industry VIPs to promote their films and themselves.
Campaigning for the Oscars is a multimillion-dollar industry. While the Academy has stringent rules to ensure that only outstanding films and performances win, the nomination of Andrea Riseborough in the category for the best actress has sparked debate about how the process works.
In response to the controversy, Academy president Janet Yang told that campaign regulations will be revisited following this year’s ceremony, with a particular focus on the “changing environment” of social media. She stated, “We are going to take a close look at the regulations that have been in place for some time.” “There are several issues not addressed in the current campaign regulations that we believe must be addressed immediately.”
How do campaigns operate?
Campaigning can include everything from advertisements to red carpets to positioning actors in the appropriate interviews, all to create the impression that a film and its stars are Oscar-worthy. Why do film studios do it? There were 301 films eligible for the Oscars this year, so they must promote their films.
The Academy has strict regulations regarding “the annual rite” of campaigning, including restrictions on the number of mailings studios may send, as well as promotional items, petitioning, and parties.
Unsurprisingly, candidates are prohibited from making negative or derogatory statements about their opponents in public. Penalties for violating the regulations may include disqualification. And any Academy member (typically a previous winner) may face suspension or expulsion.
The campaign route life
At a reception for Oscar nominees held in London in February, a few days after an Oscars luncheon in LA, The Banshees Of Inisherin stars Colin Farrell, Brendan Gleeson, and Kerry Condon rubbed shoulders with fellow acting nominees including Angela Bassett, Michelle Yeoh, and Ke Huy Quan, as well as industry bigwigs.
“It’s insane!” When questioned about the preparatory work, Condon responded, “There’s a lot of preparation.” “It’s like a whole other skill you need to have, chatting with people and having your picture taken. And all sorts of other things you wouldn’t consider as an actor. And you must master them quickly.”
For some, all of this is enjoyable. Quan, who stars in Take Everything Everywhere All at Once, has made no secret of his enthusiasm.
“The audience’s enthusiastic reception of the film is beyond our wildest dreams,” he said. “I’m thoroughly enjoying awards season… it’s been a wild ride.”
However, it can be laborious. The King’s Speech best picture winner Gareth Ellis-Unwin now votes for the Academy Awards and BAFTAs. The campaign for the film, which lasted more than three months, astonished him, he says. It was comparable to vying for a local office.
In 2016, Susan Sarandon compared the process to the US presidential race. In a panel discussion at that year’s Cannes Film Festival, she advocated for campaign finance reform. “People must be available for several months, and someone must pay for that,” she explained.
Twelve years after his triumph, Screen Skills director of film and animation Ellis-Unwin says things are changing.
“You can now market a movie or TV show without paying as much as a decade ago. Our distributors joked that award ceremony promotion cost $30 million, twice the film’s budget.”
Why did Riseborough’s nomination come as a shock?
The nomination for the British actress’s performance in Leslie, a small independent film in which she portrays an alcoholic single mother who wins the lottery, was unexpected, as there had been little chatter surrounding her before the nomination.
And because black actresses with that reputation – Viola Davis for The Woman King and Danielle Deadwyler for Till – were overlooked. While Davis, Deadwyler, and others appeared to play a more conventional campaign game. Riseborough was nominated following social media praise from A-listers such as Gwyneth Paltrow, Jennifer Aniston, and Edward Norton.
There is no indication that Riseborough herself committed any wrongdoing. However, the controversy has raised concerns about the future of campaigning and reignited discussions about opportunity and racism in the film industry.
Shortly after announcing this year’s shortlists, the Academy launched an investigation to ensure that no campaign rules were violated. After a brief investigation, the organization reported discovering “concerning social media and outreach campaigning tactics” regarding Leslie, but not to the extent that Riseborough should lose her nomination.
Yang told it was an “unusual situation” but that, “based on the existing rules,” no rules were broken.
Can voters be persuaded?
When it comes to aggressive campaigning, industry insiders say it began with disgraced producer Harvey Weinstein; he reportedly started a whisper campaign against Steven Spielberg’s Saving Private Ryan in 1999 when it was in the running for a best picture alongside his film Shakespeare In Love – which went on to win. Since then, the Academy has tightened its campaigning regulations.
Regarding the Riseborough controversy, the features editor of the US entertainment publication Variety, Jenelle Riley, states that there is a “whole industry devoted to campaigning,” but Academy voters will ultimately select the films and actors they deem deserving.
She states, “The Academy will do what they want to do, and they will vote for whom they want.” “No one can compel you to mark her name on the ballot. If people voted for her, they did so voluntarily.
“Anyone who has seen To Leslie will not dispute that she didn’t deserve to be nominated… the truth is, there is a glut of talent. A portion of me believes that they ought to enhance the number of nominees.”
Can Riseborough possibly win?
A late-game stunner is possible but seems unlikely. Even before the nominations were announced, the best actress category appeared to be a two-horse contest between Cate Blanchett (Tar) and Michelle Yeoh (Everything, Everywhere, All At Once). This was not necessarily due to the campaigning investigation.
According to Matthew Belloni, former editor of The Hollywood Reporter and founding partner of digital media company Puck, “The nomination is the win” for Riseborough.
However, he claims that the investigation did not impair her chances. “If anything, I believe she gained votes because people disliked how her campaign was criticized. Members with whom I’ve spoken thought it absurd that they could be chastised for this,” he said.
Future rule changes?
Belloni characterizes the To Leslie campaign as innovative because it avoided conventional advertising channels by throwing parties and putting “talent on a circuit of interviews and handshakes.”
Without a substantial budget, they gained support through social media.
Despite the Academy’s decision not to withdraw Riseborough’s nomination. Belloni believes that the scandal will result in additional rule changes restricting social media activity.
“I believe it will alter things. She predicted that the Academy’s code of conduct would be updated to reflect the social media era.
