Andrea Riseborough: the unexpected controversy of the Oscars

The surprising Oscar nomination of the English actress Andrea Riseborough (Newcastle, 41 years old) has caused a debate since its announcement.

The Hollywood Academy of Cinema debated on Tuesday at a meeting of directors whether the candidacy of the protagonist of

should remain in one of the most important sections of the awards.

In the end, there was no change, although some of those academics expressed concern about the ways in which the promotion campaign has been created to reach the awards.

Riseborough made the final selection alongside Cate Blanchett, Ana de Armas, Michelle Yeoh and Michelle Williams.

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is an unusual selection within the category.

Unlike the work Ana de Armas did to play Marilyn Monroe in

, for example, Riseborough's film had been off the radar of audiences and critics alike.

With some exceptions.

In this drama, the actress plays a single mother and alcoholic who squanders a small fortune won in the lottery.

However, some of the most influential actresses in Hollywood began to name Riseborough, a veteran highly appreciated by her peers who has appeared in the recent

and in other titles such as

.

Cate Blanchett, one of the favorites to win her March 12 statuette, mentioned her in her winning speech at the Critics Choice Awards.

“[This award] is extremely arbitrary considering the number of exceptional performances that have been given by actresses, not just the ones present here... like Andrea Riseborough's,” the

star released .

Kate Winslet called Riseborough's work "the best female performance she had ever seen on screen" in her entire life.

For someone outside the industry - Riseborough is very popular and has a lot of prestige among the rest of the interpreters - it was a surprise that actresses of that reputation dedicated the last days of the campaign to the nominations for an obscure

shot in Los Angeles during the pandemic, in 19 days and with less than a million dollars in budget (about 921,000 euros).

They weren't the only ones.

The producer Judd Apatow and the actors Edward Norton, Gwyneth Paltrow and Alan Cummings, among others, also promoted their candidacy through social networks.

In addition, the African-American community has stressed that its inclusion in the category has possibly displaced other black actress candidacies, such as Danielle Deadwyler

or Viola Davis

A bet paid for itself

The campaign can be seen as a happy ending for a film that had distribution problems and which grossed less than $30,000 in theaters (about 27,700 euros).

A David who defeated Goliath in an industry that has million-dollar budgets destined to promote films that are generally released at festivals such as Cannes, Venice or New York.

, on the other hand, began his journey at the Texan South by Southwest (SXSW) in March 2022 (the same contest in which he began

It received such positive reviews that Riseborough decided to invest his own money in the campaign, with the support of his publicist Jason Weinberg, who also represents actresses such as Emma Watson.

However, some public relations professionals in Hollywood consider the effort illegal.

“The rules are very clear and cheating has been deliberately done,” considers Álvar Carretero, from the Joshua Jackson Public Relations agency and a specialist in this type of advertising campaign.

The rules the publicist is referring to are those published by the Academy each year for "the annual rite known as campaigning."

They regulate even the smallest details in the promotion process.

Companies, for example, can only send a weekly advertisement to voters, and screenings are prohibited from being accompanied by receptions, parties or events with food or drink.

The nominees for best actress: Cate Blanchett, Ana de Armas, Andrea Riseborough, Michelle Williams and Michelle Yeoh.AP

"The rules are made to help the little ones," considers Carretero.

They match the level between the big studios and the independent ones.

The invitations must be monochrome and with specific measurements, to prevent the largest from wasting on flourishes or large designs.

These must not carry signatures, greetings, make requests to see the film or include the merits or awards of the production.

"Money does not designate the winners here," settles the specialist, who indicates that the lowest price for such a strategy is between 1.5 and 2 million dollars.

Screenings with a subsequent discussion must have a single moderator and no promotional product may be given away.

Amy Adams, a six-time Oscar nominee and personal friend of Riseborough's, moderated one of the events where she was seen

.

They also did it in other sessions Charlize Theron, Gwyneth Paltrow and Minnie Driver, all nominated or winners on some occasion.

In addition, there were emails sent calling attention to Riseborough.

“If they are willing to post on social every day between now and January 17, that would be amazing,” a message obtained by

It was written by actress Mary McCormack, wife of Michael Morris, the film's director.

The Academy, when talking about

(pressure), ensures that it is "expressly prohibited" to contact voting academics directly to promote a film or an achievement of professionals.

It also prevents highlighting titles or names.

McCormack's comment, on the other hand, was echoed on Twitter by Susan Sarandon, Jennifer Aniston, Helen Hunt, Rosie O'Donnell and Mira Sorvino.

"

is a small film with a big heart", indicates a message that was repeated in several accounts.

He himself claimed that Riseborough "put on the performance of the year."

The strategy paid off.

The Academy, which has still not recovered from the Will Smith slap scandal, has launched an investigation.

In a balancing act, he seems to prove both parties right.

Bill Kramer, the institution's president, called the operation on social media "campaign tactics that have raised concern."

Still, the organization's board of governors upheld the nomination.

The opposite would have generated a new controversy.

Too many for an organization that wants to turn the page.