Is Andrea Riseborough’s Oscar nomination under review? Did To Leslie actress break rules - what happened

The Academy has announced that it is conducting a review of award “campaign procedures” to ensure that no guidelines were violated at this year’s nominations. The organisation said it was committed to ensuring the competition was conducted in a “fair and ethical” manner and would determine whether changes to future guidelines were needed.

It comes following nominations for the 95th Oscars, where British actress Andrea Riseborough scored a surprise nomination in the Best Actress category.

This is what you need to know.

What has the Academy said?

The announcement regarding the Academy’s review of award campaign procedures comes after Riseborough bagged a surprise nomination in the Best Actress category for the 95th Oscars.

Riseborough was nominated for her performance in independent film To Leslie, which sees her play a single mother who has turned to alcoholism after winning the lottery before turning her life around when a motel owner offers her a job.

A statement released by the Academy said: “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.”

Did Andrea Riseborough break the rules?

While the statement itself did not reference Riseborough or To Leslie, questions regarding her nomination and campaign methods have been raised.

To Leslie did not receive any nods at the Golden Globes or the Critics’ Choice awards, but has since had the backing of some of the most prominent names in Hollywood. Stars including Edward Norton, Jennifer Aniston, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Cate Blanchett – who is also nominated for the Best Actress Oscar for Tar – previously voiced their support for Riseborough and her performance.

The question of whether Riseborough broke Academy rules comes down to a handful of specific posts which not only championed the actress, but made reference to her competitors - something which is forbidden by the Academy.

The Academy rules state: “Ads, mailings, websites, social media (including Facebook and Twitter) or any other forms of public communication by anyone directly associated with an eligible film attempting to cast a negative or derogatory light on a competing film or achievement will not be tolerated.

“In particular, any tactic that singles out “the competition” by name or title is expressly forbidden.

“In addition to reserving all available remedies, Academy members who are found to have violated this regulation will be subject to a one-year suspension of membership for first-time violations, and expulsion for any subsequent violations.”

A since deleted Instagram post published by the official To Leslie Instagram account quoted Richard Roeper of the Chicago Sun-Times, stating: “As much as I admired [Cate] Blanchett’s work in Tar, my favourite performance by a woman this year was delivered by the chameleonlike Andrea Riseborough.”

While Roeper is well within his rights to express his opinion, there’s the possibility that the To Leslie campaign broke Academy rules by choosing a quote which specifically named Riseborough’s Best Actress competitor Blanchett.

Have nominations been revoked in the past?

While nominations getting revoked by the Academy is rare, it has happened on a number of occasions throughout the years, including:

• In 2016, the Best Achievement in Sound Mixing award nomination for 13 Hours was revoked after Greg P. Russel was found to have taken part in “telephone lobbying” just a day before the nomination was announced 
• In 1954, Hondo was nominated for the Best Story category, however the film was later disqualified after it was found that the film was not in fact an original piece of work and was instead based on a short story called The Gift of Cochise 
• In 2013, Alone Yet Not Alone had its Best Original Song nomination rescinded after the song’s composer, Bruce Broughton, emailed members of the Academy’s music branch to “make them aware of his submission” 
• In 2012, Tuba Atlantic was nominated for Best Live Action Short Film, however the nod was revoked after the Oscars ceremony after it was discovered that the film had aired on TV in Norway two years previously 
• In 1973, composer Nino Rota had his nomination for Best Original Dramatic Score for The Godfather pulled after it was found that he had previously used a version of the iconic “Love Theme” in the 1958 film Fortunella