Academy Museum of Motion Pictures announces 2023 summer programmes

The Academy Museum of Motion Pictures continues its extensive repertoire of public programming with an announcement of new film series, public events, and education programmes to kick off the summer season. New programmes feature a conversation and book signing with Oscar -winning costume designer Ruth E. Carter on 29 July; a conversation with 14-time Oscar-nominee and Governors Award recipient Diane Warren on 24 August, as well as in-gallery programming and family workshops in partnership with the Bob Baker Marionette Theatre and the Los Angeles LGBT Centre celebrating the LGBTQIA+ community throughout the month of June.

Film programming begins on 1 June with a Spotlight screening of Desk Set (1957) starring Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn, followed by a post-screening Q&A with author Claire L. Evans and Associate Director of Reference and Public Services at the Margaret Herrick Library Elizabeth Youle. Limited film series begin on 8 June with A New Wave of K-Cinema: Korean Women Directors and June 10 with Summer of Music: Concert Films 1959–2020; 6 July with Regeneration, Remixed; 20 July with Dick Smith: The Godfather of Makeup; and 23 July with Silent Sundays . These series join the museum’s ongoing film series Oscar Sundays, Family Matinees, Branch Selects, and Available Space. The Academy Museum also announced it will be screening Weekend Short Cuts: Looney Tunes Afternoons, a suite of classic Looney Tunes animated short films every Saturday and Sunday 2 June–26 August at 3pm in the state-of-the-art David Geffen Theatre (DGT). Entry to Weekend Short Cuts is free with the purchase of a general admission ticket.

“We designed a season of public programming that complements what visitors encounter in our galleries. The museum is truly immersive for audiences; a place where people can come to interact with the many crafts of filmmaking; and a destination for people to watch, absorb, learn about, and engage with movies, all at the same time,” said Amy Homma, chief audience officer of the Academy Museum.

She continued, “Here, people can visit The Godfather gallery, see the craftsmanship up close, then join us in the David Geffen Theatre to see all the pieces come together on the big screen. They can walk through the history of Black cinema in the Regeneration exhibition, then follow that story into the present as they attend a book signing and conversation with Ruth E. Carter. And, we’re thrilled that weekend audiences will be able to see animated short films–many of which are rare to see in a theatrical setting–starting this summer.”

To officially launch the summer season, the Academy Museum will host a kickoff event on Friday 2 June from 2pm to 8pm. Summer Jam will take place on The Walt Disney Company Piazza and feature art-making activities, food by Fanny’s, drinks, photo activations, and music—all free and open to the public. Attendees will have free access to the museum’s galleries from 4pm to 8pm on a first-come, first-served basis; capacity is limited. Attendees will also receive a 15% discount on purchases at the Academy Museum store that evening.

The Academy Museum Store will continue its popular book signings on 29 July with two time Oscar-winning costume designer Ruth E. Carter who will be signing her new book The Art of Ruth E. Carter: Costuming Black History and the Afrofuture, from Do the Right Thing to Black Panther. The programme, held from 5pm to 8pm will also include an illustrated conversation with Carter to bring the book to life.

Songwriter Diane Warren will join Academy Museum director and president Jacqueline Stewart for a conversation on 24 August. The programme, An Evening with Diane Warren , will give a special look into the power of song in film. As one of the most prolific artists of all time, Warren has penned 9 number one hits and 32 top ten hits on the Billboard Hot 100. She is an Honorary Oscar recipient, has received 14 Academy Award nominations, and her songs have been featured in more than 150 motion pictures.

Beginning on 8 June, the screening series A New Wave of K-Cinema: Korean Women Directors consists of contemporary films that explore the complexities of diverse conditions faced in contemporary Korean culture, including the trauma of domestic violence, investigations into gender and class politics, humanity’s relation to nature and the environment, and love and friendship. Each film conveys its narrative through the unique lens of its director’s keen perception, remarkable sensibility, and earnest engagement with its subjects. The 10-film series opens with two works by Yim Soon-rye, a prominent director and an advocate for women in film.

This June, July, and August, the museum hosts Summer of Music: Concert Films 1959–2020. Spanning seven decades and several continents, genres, and filmmaking styles, the concert film series showcases iconic and inspiring musical performances captured on film一 from dizzying eclectic festival bills to intimate artist showcases. Featured performers include The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Ozzy Ozborne, and Beyoncé. The limited series kicks off with Jazz on a Summer’s Day (1959) on 10 June and concludes with Metallica: Through the Never in 3D (2013) on 26 August, featuring a special post-screening conversation with members of the band Metallica.

In celebration of the Academy Museum’s landmark exhibition Regeneration: Black Cinema 1898–1971 —ahead of its closing date of 16 July, 2023–the museum will present Regeneration, Remixed. The limited series takes another look at the period covered in the exhibition, this time through a contemporary lens. It serves as a dialogue between living Black filmmakers and the complicated cultural and cinematic legacies they face, to offer new visions and ideas of what Black cinema was and can be. This series also features new scores performed live by renowned composers Renée Baker and Kathryn Bostic of race films directed by Oscar Micheaux and Richard E. Norman, respectively. The series begins on 6 July with a 70mm screening of Jordan Peele’s Nope (2022).

Dick Smith: The Godfather of Makeup showcases work from the groundbreaking makeup artist. Smith is best remembered for his realistic aging makeup, notably for Dustin Hoffman as Jack Crabb in Little Big Man (1970) and F. Murray Abraham as Antonio Salieri in Amadeus (1984), the latter for which he won an Academy Award with Paul LeBlanc. Smith’s experimentation with materials went beyond full-face masks to employ multiple overlapping foam latex pieces, allowing actors a fuller range of facial expressions and resulting in massive shifts in the field. The screening series begins with a screening on July 20 of The Godfather (1972)—a film currently being celebrated in the gallery The Art of Moviemaking: The Godfather, on view through 5 January 2025.

In the Academy Museum’s ongoing pursuit to illuminate the many histories of filmmaking, it is launching Silent Sundays, a series of silent film screenings with a nod to Turner Classic Movies (TCM)’s “Silent Sunday Nights,” hosted by Academy Museum Director and President Jacqueline Stewart. Taking place on Sundays at 2pm running 23 July to 27 August, Silent Sundays showcases iconic movies from the silent era as well as forgotten gems and international classics. The programme kicks off on 23 July with a live score of Oleksandr Dovzhenko’s silent masterpiece Earth (Zemlya) (1930) arranged by composer Luke Corradine, and culminates on August 27 with a 100th anniversary celebration of the silent comedy classic Safety Last! (1923) featuring a score arranged by legendary American composer Carl Davis.