Academy to not strip ‘To Leslie’ Oscar nod

LOS ANGELES

Andrea Riseborough will keep her controversial Oscar nomination for “To Leslie” even though a review of the indie film’s unorthodox promotional campaign uncovered concerns, the Academy said on Jan. 31.

The British star’s best actress nomination, unveiled last week by Hollywood’s most prestigious awards group, sent shockwaves through the industry.

While her performance was lauded by critics, the film had grossed just $27,000 at the box office and had not received the sort of expensive and highly visible marketing campaign that is widely seen as essential for Academy Awards glory.

Debate has raged in Hollywood over whether any Academy rules against lobbying or disparaging rivals were broken.

“The Academy has determined the activity in question does not rise to the level that the film’s nomination should be rescinded,” the Oscar-awarding group said in a statement.

“However, we did discover social media and outreach campaigning tactics that caused concern. These tactics are being addressed with the responsible parties directly.”