New campaign rule after controversy at the Academy

According to the Variety portal, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciencesresponsible for the Oscar awards, announced this Monday its “largest and most significant review” of the campaign's promotional regulations and the award rules relating to the 96th Oscar, which will take place in March next year.

_{Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in ceremony (photo Valerie Macon/Getty Images)}

The updated rules and regulations are intended to clarify some issues surrounding social media and communications in public forums which include expanding violations and penalties, as well as reviewing the process for individuals directly associated with a film and/or a member .

Check out the list of updates and changes below:

• Clarification of the rules regarding private events and meetings;
• Clarification of the rules regarding direct and indirect communications to members of the Academy;
• Clarification of the rules regarding public communications, including social networks;
• Clarification of the rules for displaying “In your opinion”, question and answer sessions and discussion panels;
• An expansion of regulatory, violation, and penalty language, which includes the process for reporting and reviewing a violation;

Some of the most notable changes include allowing private events and meetings attended by members of the Academy, which the Academy itself does not consider FYC events. However, studios and companies focused on cinema and audiovisual are prohibited from financing, organizing and supporting such events.

Now, the rules regarding referencing other competitors remain intact. The Academy also banned members and campaign teams from talking about voting strategies and decisions or referring to whether or not movie studios have Oscar eligibility, which includes “Inclusion Standards” and theatrical distribution limits. In 2020, the Academy announced requirements aimed at new diversity and inclusion for “Best Photography.” As part of its Opening 2025 initiative, the rules are now in place for films released in the year 2023 that are being submitted to the Oscars' main category. Additionally, communications cannot contain quotes or comments from Academy Directors who are not directly associated with the film.

This all happened after a season of “confusion” that included, but was not limited to, the producer of “Top Gun: Maverick”Jerry Bruckheimer, opened his home in Beverly Hills to the powerful former head of Paramount Studios, Sherry Lansing, who, incidentally, threw a party for actor Tom Cruise, not to mention the controversy over the nomination of Andrea Riseborough, which ended with Academy President Janet Yang tweeting a purported endorsement of eventual winning actress Michelle Yeoh of “Everything Everywhere At The Same Time”who became famous when he shared an article on Instagram.

In January, the Academy began conducting a review of campaign procedures after Riseborough's surprise best actress nomination for “To Leslie” was questioned by awards strategists and studio executives. It was reported that Riseborough's talent agents, public relations teams and filmmakers linked to the film were using aggressive campaign tactics to secure a nomination. Most notable was on Instagram by AMPAS members, such as the actress from “Titanic”, Frances Fisher, who made reference to other supposed “blocked” nominees, such as Cate Blanchett from “Tár”. This was interpreted by some voters and industry insiders as a possible violation of the Academy's campaign rules, specifically #11: “References to Other Nominees.”

Despite the argument, Riseborough stood by its nomination, with Academy CEO Bill Kramer stating at the time that the organization discovered social media and outreach campaign tactics that caused concern. These tactics are being addressed directly with responsible parties.

Some other changes include limiting the number of pre-nomination “hosted” screenings to a maximum of four and eliminating post-nomination “hosted” screenings altogether. The Academy also removed the limitation of four Q&A post-nominations, now unlimited in the window.

Physical forms of advertising, including postcards and display calendars, are not permitted, in keeping with the ongoing commitment to sustainability.

The Board of Governors is restricted from hosting private events, meetings, screenings, or moderating any Q&A sessions or panel discussions unless they are directly associated with the film itself.

Film companies can now refer to their productions as “shortlisted” after the shortlisted categories are announced. It is worth remembering, again, that this was not previously allowed in FYC correspondence.

Other changes to the prize rules include:

• The regulations for the International Feature Film category now stipulate that the selection committees must be made up of at least 50% of filmmakers (artists and/or artisans).
• In the Live Action Short Film category, voting privileges will be extended to all Academy members who choose to participate.

The 96th Academy Awards will be held on Sunday, March 10th and everyone is eagerly awaiting the nominations and awards.

Featured photo: Image by kalhh by Pixabay