Academy Museum of Motion Pictures announces inaugural programming

The Academy Museum of Motion Pictures in Los Angeles announced a slate of programs it will offer to the public beginning September 30, 2021, when it will celebrate its grand opening.

Jacqueline Stewart, Chief Artistic and Programming Officer of the Academy Museum, said, “We have been hard at work preparing the Academy Museum and are ready to welcome visitors first virtually and then in person in September. The programs we are rolling out for our opening are dynamic, diverse, and deeply grounded in the history and artistry of filmmaking. Whether they are recognizing Hollywood legends, delving into the working process of film professionals, or addressing issues of race, gender, sexuality and inequity that run through film history, these programs will use the power of movies and stories of filmmakers to open eyes and minds.”

Bill Kramer, Director and President of the Academy Museum, said, “Developed in partnership with incredible Academy members, our slate of virtual programs is designed to complement our compelling and engaging core and temporary exhibitions. When we open, our programs will also come to life in our theatres and in our public spaces to deepen the visitor experience. Our screenings, panels, symposia, and educational programs are key components of how our visitors will interact with the museum and learn about filmmaking.”

OPENING PROGRAMS  

When the Academy Museum opens September 30, 2021, it will begin presenting a robust range of screenings, in-depth conversations, and programs for youth and families.

Visitors will be welcomed with a slate of film screenings that celebrate cinema’s rich past, present and future. Presented in the Academy Museum’s two theatres—1,000-seat David Geffen Theatre and 288-seat Ted Mann Theatre—viewers will enjoy films as intended with state-of-the-art sound and projection in multiple film and digital formats. The theatres will be spaces to explore and experience the art of cinema as well as inspire conversation and action long after the credits roll.

The museum will present film series that celebrate a global spectrum of cinematic perspectives and practices across histories to expand beyond conventional narratives and build on the ever-expanding film canon, including:

• Branch Selects, selected by each of the Academy’s 17 branches that represent meaningful breakthroughs in the evolution of their craft.
• Exhibition-inspired series expanding on the themes, films, and filmmakers in the museum’s galleries. For the museum’s inaugural temporary exhibition, ‘Hayao Miyazaki’, the museum will present all of Miyazaki’s features in both Japanese with English subtitles and with English dubbing, as well as additional series exploring the worlds, ideas and stories created by this master filmmaker.
• Oscar Sundays, screenings of Oscar-nominated and Oscar-winning films, as well as a behind the scenes look inside the Academy and the Academy Awards.
• Filmmakers’ Inspiration, expanding upon the gallery spaces curated by film artists Pedro Almodóvar, Hildur Guðnadóttir, and Spike Lee with films they select highlighting their own works and films that have influenced them.
• Preservation Spotlights, showcasing recently preserved films from archives around the world
• Retrospectives offering expansive surveys of a filmmaker’s body of work. Our inaugural year will include retrospectives on a range of film artists from Indian writer/director Satyajit Ray, Ethiopian-born writer/director/teacher Haile Gerima, Austrian exiles who helped shape much of the Golden Age of Hollywood, and actress and icon Anna May Wong.
• Shorts in the Geffen, daily screenings celebrating the creativity of short-form filmmaking—live-action, documentary, and animated—in the David Geffen Theatre during regular museum hours.

Additionally, the museum will present conversations, panels, symposia, and lectures several times a month in our theaters celebrating film artists and film history while also providing learning opportunities to lean into areas of harm, hurt and complexity:

• Legacy, inviting family members of Hollywood legends to discuss the legacy of film artists and provide first-hand insights into film history.
• Impact/Reflection, featuring film artists in conversation with scholars and activists about the relationship between documentary and narrative film and topics presented in the museum’s Impact/Reflection galleries in Stories of Cinema, such as #MeToo, pay equity, Black Lives Matter, climate change, and labour relations.
• The Arts and Sciences of Cinema, providing information and context about breakthrough scientific and technical achievements in filmmaking, featuring figures who have made major contributions to their fields.
• In Conversation Series, with profiles of film artists, celebrations of the anniversaries of significant films, discussions in which film artists speak with people who have been their inspirations and influences, and more.
• Contextualizing Cinema, where Academy members and scholars unpack challenging topics in film history—such as racialized makeup, degrading depictions of Indigenous peoples, and racism in animation—with the aim of increasing empathy and knowledge.
• Object Acquisitions, inviting audiences to follow the journey into the Academy Museum of iconic objects such as the “Bruce the Shark” model from Jaws (1975) and the ruby red slippers from The Wizard of Oz (1939).
• Hayao Miyazaki, linked to the Academy Museum’s first temporary exhibition, the first North American museum retrospective dedicated to the acclaimed artist and his work.

In addition, visitors will be able to join themed, interactive 45-minute guided tours throughout the week, offering insights on the core collection, exhibitions, art installations, and the Academy Museum’s architectural design. Family tours and accommodative tours (including offerings for the low vision, blind, hard of hearing, and deaf communities) will be scheduled on a regular basis. On weekends, multiple 15-minute Gallery Highlights will encourage a deeper understanding of focal points in the museum’s content while engaging visitors in conversation. Guided tours and Gallery Highlights will be free with museum admission, and free audio tours will also be available in English, Spanish, and Korean.

More details on the Academy Museums Inaugural programs will be announced at a later date. For more information, please visit here.