Categories
Awards

Rules! Rules!! Rules!!!

AMPAS puts new limits on pre-Oscar campaigning

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. (AP) — Oscar is clamping down on awards campaigning.
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced new regulations Wednesday to curtail campaigning for the 84th annual Academy Awards. The new rules eliminate star-studded receptions for films and individual nominees after the Oscar nominations have been announced on Jan. 24, 2012.

There are no restrictions on screenings, receptions or filmmaker panel discussions prior to the nominations announcement, but once the nominees are known, receptions will not be allowed and no individual from any film can participate in more than two panel discussions.

Academy members and Oscar nominees are also prohibited from attending any non-screening events that promote or honor a nominated film or individual after the nominations announcement, but they’ll still be allowed to attend academy-sanctioned events and those held by various guilds and critics groups.

The run-up to the Academy Awards is typically crowded with countless parties and events aimed at courting awards voters. Earlier this year, parties for “The Social Network” and “The King’s Speech” each featured the casts of those films.

The new rules also extend the organization’s ban on negative campaigning to social media, and sets new penalties for violations. Members who break the rules will be subject to a one-year-suspension for their first infraction and possible expulsion for subsequent violations.

The regulations also allow for digital distribution of films to academy members, though academy president Tom Sherak says, “above all, we want academy members to see movies as they were meant to be seen, in a theatrical setting.”

The 84th annual Academy Awards will be presented Feb. 26, 2012.