Photo: Getty Images
LOS ANGELES (CNS) - Despite a review of Oscar "campaigning tactics," the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced Tuesday that "To Leslie" star Andrea Riseborough will maintain her best-actress nomination.
"The Academy has determined the activity in question does not rise to the level that the film's nomination should be rescinded," Academy CEO Bill Kramer said in a statement. "However, we did discover social media and outreach campaigning tactics that caused concern. These tactics are being addressed with the responsible parties directly."
The Academy announced last week it was conducting a review of Oscar- campaign policies in light of the growing influence of social media. The review was prompted by Riseborough's surprise nomination for her work in the small independent film that was only briefly in theaters and grossed only about $27,000.
Riseborough was heavily promoted on social media during nominations season by a variety of Hollywood A-listers, some of whom even hosted screenings of the film.
Among those touting the film were stars such as Jennifer Aniston, Kate Winslet, Edward Norton and Gwyneth Paltrow, according to various Hollywood trade reports.
In his statement Tuesday, Kramer suggested that some Academy rules may need to be adjusted.
"The purpose of the Academy's campaign regulations is to ensure a fair and ethical awards process -- these are core values of the Academy," he said. "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. 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."
According to Deadline, Marc Maron, who co-starred with Riseborough in "To Leslie," ripped the Academy in one of his recent podcasts over the investigation, saying the "grassroots campaign" that led to her nomination apparently "threatens their system to where they're completely bought out by corporate interests in the form of studios."