With awards season having officially started, there are a number of early releases that were critically acclaimed and which will most likely be ignored during the season.

As a result, throughout the next months, these Oscar pieces will be dedicated to arguing why the Oscars should consider these films.

"The Immigrant" was released back in May by the Weinstein Company. However, the release was essentially ignored as it only made $2 million and only reached 150 theaters. The film stars Marion Cotillard, Joaquin Phoenix and Jeremy Renner and received rave reviews upon its release. However, the lack of a good marketing campaign and the failure to wait until awards season basically condemned the film to failure.

The Weinstein Company can, however, redeem it if the company decides to campaign the movie for awards. After all, the company is known for its strong awards campaigns and for getting its way. While it is definitely a Best Picture contender, there is no point in arguing that category given the fact that the Academy likes to choose movies from the end of the year. As a result, it is preferable to stay away from that category.

However, two categories where the film could easily enter are the Best Actress and Best Supporting Actor categories.

Throughout the past months, pundits have repeatedly stated that the Best Actress race is weak and that there are only three strong contenders. In "The Immigrant," Cotillard's performance was universally praised. The actress has already won an Oscar for "La Vie en Rose" and this year she has an outside chance to earn a nomination for her work on "Two Day One Night." However, that film does not have as much buzz as her previous award-winning performance in "Rust and Bone." Additionally, while Cotillard won for a French performance, it is rare for the Academy to nominate foreign film performances.

"The Immigrant" was Cotillard's first English Language lead role and that is something the Academy should consider when making its choices. Since starting her U.S. career, she has generally been subjected to supporting roles as a femme fatale of sorts. This film diverges greatly from that norm.

Additionally, the Weinstein Company only has one Best Actress opportunity in Amy Adams for "Big Eyes" and the company usually promotes numerous actresses. Last year, Judi Dench and Meryl Streep were nominated for Weinstein films, and in 2013 Jennifer Lawrence won her role in "Silver Linings Playbook." In 2012, Meryl Streep won for "The Iron Lady" while Michelle Williams was nominated for "My Week with Marilyn." If the lineup for woman is that weak, then Cotillard could easily get through.

The Supporting Actor category is another "weak lineup." A few days ago, Variety posted an article that stated that there were really only three certain actors who could get nominated for the category. The article also stated that the bulk of the supporting actor performances had not been seen and that many companies were going to try and place lead actors in the supporting race.

"The Immigrant" has a strong performance by Phoenix, who has been nominated three times previously. His performance in the film is solid and given the fact that the actor has no chance in the lead category for "Inherent Vice," this could be a good opportunity to get him his fourth nomination.

The company could also promote Renner, who was snubbed last year for his work on "American Hustle." Like Phoenix, he also gives a wonderful performance that could have easily garnered traction had the film come out during this time period. Like the actress category, the Weinstein Company has been on a roll getting supporting actor nominations. Two years ago, the company landed three nominations in the category for Robert De Niro ("Silver Linings Playbook"), Philip Seymour Hoffman ("The Master") and Christoph Waltz ("Django Unchained"). Waltz won. In 2012, the company landed Kenneth Branagh a nomination for "My Week with Marilyn."

The film could also obtain a number of technical awards including Best Art Direction, Best Costume Design and Best Makeup. It could also get a Best Screenplay nomination and a Best Score. There are multiple possibilities but unless the studio puts a strong campaign behind it, the film will not have an opportunity.

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