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Oscars 2017: Academy rescinds nomination one day before ceremony

Greg P. Russell will no longer be competing with 13 Hours

Jack Shepherd
Sunday 26 February 2017 10:18 GMT
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One day before the Oscars ceremony finally took place, one budding nominee was likely very excited waiting patiently to attend the prestigious ceremony.

Unfortunately, though, it was not to be, as the Academy of Motion Picture Arts has rescinded Greg P. Russell’s Sound Mixing nomination for 13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi.

“Upon recommendation by the Sound Branch Executive Committee, the Academy’s Board of Governors voted to rescind the nomination,” the Academy wrote in a statement.

The Oscars: 89th Academy Awards in numbers

“The decision was prompted by the discovery that Russell had called his fellow members of the Sound Branch during the nominations phase to make them aware of his work on the film, in direct violation of a campaign regulation that prohibits telephone lobbying.”

Though Russell’s nomination has been rescinded, the film remains in competition, his fellow 13 Hours sound engineers Gary Summers, Jeffrey J. Haboush and Mac Ruth attached to the film.

Academy president Cheryl Boone Isaacs added: “The Board of Governors’ decision to rescind Mr. Russell’s nomination was made after careful consideration.

“The Academy takes very seriously the Oscars voting process and anything—no matter how well-intentioned – that may undermine the integrity of that process.”

Oscars 2017: Our film team discuss who will win and who should

The last time a nomination was rescinded by the Academy was in 2014, when Bruce Broughton’s nomination for original song for Alone Yet Not Alone also used his contacts to promote his work. Read everything you need to know about the Oscars here.

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