Luca Guadagnino’s “Artificial” is officially entering awards season with an ambitious Oscar strategy that puts Andrew Garfield and Yura Borisov on different paths to Academy recognition.
Neon is positioning Garfield for supporting actor for his performance as OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, while Borisov will compete as a lead actor for his portrayal of OpenAI co-founder and former chief scientist Ilya Sutskever.
The category split is particularly notable because Garfield portrays the film’s most recognizable figure and has been prominent in its promotion. The story, however, gives Borisov’s Sutskever a central perspective as the relationship between the two men develops from shared technological ambitions into a battle over the increasingly powerful technology they helped create.
“Artificial” explores the evolution of that relationship against the rise of artificial intelligence and eventually reaches the corporate turmoil surrounding Altman’s brief removal from OpenAI. The real-life leadership crisis became one of the most closely watched episodes in the technology industry.
Garfield enters the campaign as a two-time Academy Award nominee, having previously competed for best actor for “Hacksaw Ridge” and “Tick, Tick… Boom!” Borisov is also no stranger to Oscar attention following his nomination for “Anora.”
Neon is not limiting its ambitions to the two actors.
Mark Rylance, who portrays artificial intelligence pioneer Geoffrey Hinton, is joining Garfield in the supporting actor race. Monica Barbaro, playing former OpenAI chief technology officer Mira Murati, will be campaigned for supporting actress.
The distributor is also backing the film across the major categories, including best picture and director for Guadagnino. Simon Rich’s script will compete as an original screenplay, while the production’s technical departments are also expected to receive awards consideration.
The ensemble extends well beyond the principal contenders. Cooper Hoffman portrays OpenAI co-founder Greg Brockman, while Ike Barinholtz takes on the role of Elon Musk. Jason Schwartzman, Chris O’Dowd, Billie Lourd and Zosia Mamet are also part of the cast.
Behind the camera, Guadagnino has assembled a combination of longtime collaborators and notable newcomers. Damon Albarn composed the film’s score and contributed original songs, adding another potential dimension to its awards campaign.
The film arrived at the New York Film Festival with considerable attention and continued Guadagnino’s long relationship with the event. It is also headed to the BFI London Film Festival as its awards-season rollout gathers momentum.
Early reactions following the New York premiere have added fuel to the campaign, with particular attention falling on the performances by Garfield and Borisov.
For Garfield, “Artificial” also carries an interesting career echo. Years after appearing in “The Social Network,” another drama built around technology, ambition and fractured relationships, he is once again stepping into a story about the people behind a company that changed the digital landscape.
This time, however, his road to Oscar night will run through the supporting category, while Borisov takes center stage in the lead actor race.
