A day before the Oscars, the Academy released a statement on Saturday announcing that Greg P. Russell’s sound mixing nomination for the film, 13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi has been revoked for “violation of Academy campaign regulations” and would rescind its nomination.
Entertainment Weekly writes that the decision was prompted upon the discovery that Russell had called his fellow members of the Sound Branch during the Oscar campaigning to make them aware of his work on the film.
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“[This is] in direct violation of a campaign regulation that prohibits telephone lobbying,” the release said.
“The Board of Governors’ decision to rescind Mr. Russell’s nomination was made after careful consideration,” Academy President Cheryl Boone Isaacs said in a statement. “The Academy takes very seriously the Oscars voting process and anything – no matter how well-intentioned – that may undermine the integrity of that process.”
According to the press release, the Academy rules state that “contacting Academy members by telephone to promote a film or achievement is expressly forbidden, even if such contact is in the guise of checking to make sure a screener or other mailing was received.”
The decision was made after a vote taken on Thursday by the Academy’s Board of Governors, upon recommendation by the Sound Branch Executive Committee.
The film, 13 Hours, is still in contention in the category, as Gary Summers, Jeffrey J. Haboush, and Mac Ruth remain sound mixing nominees for the film.
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This article originally appeared on Womanista.com.
