Andrea Riseborough will get to keep her Oscar nomination after all.
Following an investigation, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences issued a statement saying that they will not revoke the actor's Best Actress nomination for To Leslie.
"Based on concerns that surfaced last week around the To Leslie awards campaign, the Academy began a review into the film’s campaigning tactics," said AMPAS CEO Bill Kramer. "The Academy has determined the activity in question does not rise to the level that the film’s nomination should be rescinded. However, we did discover social media and outreach campaigning tactics that caused concern. These tactics are being addressed with the responsible parties directly."
The indie drama, directed by Michael Morris, stars Riseborough as a West Texas single mother who wins the lottery and spends it all on drugs and alcohol but is determined to turn her life around. Her Best Actress nomination came as quite a surprise, garnering criticism that the campaign around her nomination potentially violated Academy rules. Shortly before voting closed, a social media campaign among A-listers including Jane Fonda, Kate Winslet, Demi Moore, Edward Norton, Laura Dern, and many more encouraged the Academy to consider Riseborough's performance in To Leslie.
"The purpose of the Academy’s campaign regulations is to ensure a fair and ethical awards process – these are core values of the Academy. 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," Kramer continued. "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."
