The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, which awards the Oscars, said on Friday it would review nominations for this year’s awards, a day after a media report raised questions about the surprise nomination of British actress Andrea Riseborough.
On Tuesday, Riseborough was nominated for best actress for her role as an alcoholic single mother in the under-watched To Leslie, shocking critics who hadn’t expected her to be nominated.
The Bac news site reported Thursday that the unexpected nomination raised questions about whether a vigorous campaign for Riseborough violated lobbying rules set by the academy.
The academy issued a statement on Friday saying the organization was “conducting a review of campaign procedures around this year’s nominees to ensure that no guidelines have not been breached.” The statement did not mention Riseborough’s name.
The statement said the review also aims to “let us know whether changes to the guidelines are needed in the new era of social media and digital communication”.
The Academy limits how representatives of movie companies communicate with voters and what they can say in any communication as part of their Oscar campaigns.
“Two Leslie” has taken in $27,000 at the box office since its October release, according to Box Office Mojo.
The Oscar winners will be announced on March 12th.