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"To Leslie" actors are blasting the film distributor's submission process for its awards run in the aftermath of Andrea Riseborough's surprise and scrutinized Oscars nomination.
"To Leslie," a film centering on a single mother who blows her lottery winnings on alcohol and in the process isolates the ones she loves, is a low-budget indie film that grossed only $27,000. Yet, through a grassroots campaign, lead actress Andrea Riseborough managed to squeak out a nomination for Best Actress, beating out competitors like Viola Davis ("The Woman King") and Danielle Deadwyler ("Till") for the spot.
(From L) U.S. actor Rami Malek, British actress Andrea Riseborough, U.S. filmmaker David O Russell, Australian actress Margot Robbie and British actor Christian Bale pose upon arrival to attend the European premiere of the film "Amsterdam" in Leicester Square, central London, on September 21, 2022. (Photo by SEBASTIEN BOZON / AFP) (Photo by SEBASTIEN BOZON/AFP via Getty Images) (Photo by SEBASTIEN BOZON/AFP via Getty Images)
Straying from the traditional marches to Oscars nominations, "To Leslie" relied on a word-of-mouth campaign launched by director Michael Morris’ wife Mary McCormick.
Podcast host Marc Maron, who has a significant role in "To Leslie" as a motel owner who helps Riseborough's character get her life back on track, argued last week that the film struggled to gain visibility because its distributor Momentum Pictures "botched" the process.
Momentum Pictures, the indie movie arm of Toronto-based eOne, gave "To Leslie" a release date of Oct. 12, 2022, and it was available both in theaters and streaming. The film was pulled from cinemas a week later.
"It’s always disappointing when traction is not capitalized on," Riseborough told The Hollywood Reporter.
"There was no possibility of any more visibility because this distributor was awful and remained awful," Maron said.
"They botched the submission process," Maron continued. "For a distributor, the submission process is a no-brainer. Michael wasn’t submitted for the Directors Guild Awards. The music wasn’t submitted, the ensemble wasn’t submitted for SAG or Golden Globes or Oscars. None of us were submitted for SAG Awards or Golden Globes, or Oscars."
"Just Andrea for the two or three awards that she was nominated for," he continued. "So in light of that, you know, when I saw this grassroots thing happen, and then it delivered her this nomination, I was thrilled. I was thrilled for her, and I was thrilled for the movie."
In this Feb. 21, 2015, file photo, an Oscar statue appears outside the Dolby Theatre for the 87th Academy Awards in Los Angeles. The winners of last year’s acting Academy Awards will return to the Oscar stage next month to present the coveted statuettes. (Photo by Matt Sayles/Invision/AP) (Photo by Matt Sayles/Invision)
Fox News Digital has reached out to Momentum Pictures for comment.
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Maron called the uproar over Riseborough's nomination a "fake controversy" that unfortunately overshadowed her performance.
"It’s upsetting in retrospect that this experience has to be so loaded and toxic and challenged," he said.
Maron previously blasted the Academy for its decision to investigate this year's campaigns.
"Apparently, the Academy of Motion Picture Sciences, or whatever the f--- it is, has decided to investigate Andrea Riseborough's grassroots campaign to get her the Oscar nomination," Maron said on his podcast. "Because I guess it so threatens their system that they're completely bought out by corporate interests in the form of studios."
Anne Hathaway holds her Oscar for winning Best Supporting Actress for her role in "Les Miserables" at the 85th Academy Awards in Hollywood, California February 24, 2013. REUTERS/Mike Blake (UNITED STATES TAGS: - Tags: ENTERTAINMENT) (OSCARS-BACKSTAGE) (Reuters)
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Once it concluded its investigation, the Academy ultimately decided that Riseborough's nomination would stand.
"The Academy has determined the activity in question does not rise to the level that the film’s nomination should be rescinded," Bill Kramer, the CEO of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, 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."
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