Riseborough's Oscar nod might pioneer 'online lobbying tactic' for Academy Awards

An Oscar statuette Photo: IC

The controversy concerning British actress Andrea Riseborough's stunning Oscar nod seemingly came to an end after the Academy on Tuesday announced that she will retain her nomination for best lead actress in the commercially unsuccessful drama To Leslie. 

This result has not only caused strong criticism with the outcry of "#OscarsSoWhite" and "White privilege at its finest" on social media, but also revealed Oscar's new rule - online lobbying with an "aggressive" grassroots campaign supported by high-profile celebrities can help win an "entrance ticket" to the Oscars.

Riseborough's Oscar nomination came as a surprise because To Leslie, a small independent low-budget movie, only earned a bit more than $27,000 at the box office after its release in March 2022. The film's studio didn't carry out a conventional marketing campaign for the Oscars, but won the nomination almost entirely by word-of-mouth from incredibly influential figures in Hollywood who praised her performance.

Major Hollywood studios often spend millions in TV and print ads along with private dinners, luncheons and other glad-hander opportunities to try and win over Oscar voters. This has become a public common practice that reveals an ugly capitalism hegemony: If you have the money, you can win a vote from the Academy.

While the big difference with Riseborough's campaign this time is that it happened not behind closed doors but online in front of the public. The statement from the Academy reveals that this kind of personal opinion also works in wining over an Oscar nod.

The academy's lobbying states that "Contacting Academy members directly and in a manner outside of the scope of these rules to promote a film or achievement for Academy Award consideration is expressly forbidden." The massive stars supporting this movie at this special time caused people wonder if the To Leslie cast was lobbying these celebrities behind the scenes to stand out online. 

To Leslie pioneered a new way for a film to get its foot in the door: To win a nomination through an influential grassroots campaign without a big-budget promotion campaign. 

Can this incident be seen as another form of "cronyism in the Oscars?" The Oscars have been mired in different scandals over years, including sexual assault incidents and the #OscarsSoWhite backlash. 

Although this incident in the US film industry has come to an end, it has exposed loopholes in the selection of the Oscars, as well as the unspoken rules between the entire Hollywood film industry, the media and public relations.

The author is an editor of the Global Times. [email protected]