The Academy Museum of Motion Pictures is all set to open on September 30 in L0s Angeles, California. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) is helming the project, which was delayed owing to the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020. This large scale museum is entirely dedicated to the film industry, linking its roots to history and science, and the inspirational cultural impact it has had.
This first of its kind museum is located in the historic May Company Building and also features two theatre halls devoted to film screenings and special events.
The museum’s board of trustees makes for big names including Tom Hanks, Laura Dern, Ryan Murphy, Whoopi Goldberg, Diane von Fürstenberg and Ted Sarandos. According to the Academy, the entire project costs about $482 million, and the design is helmed by Italian architect Renzo Piano. The space is supposedly the largest collection of film-related items in the world as it includes 137,000 pieces of production art, 67,000 posters and more than 13 million photographs. As an entire room is devoted to Academy statuettes, it also features the one when Sidney Poitier won the best actor in 1963, marking it the first-ever win for a Black actor in that category.
Curators haven’t Curators haven’t shied away from showing the ugly side of history
The most significant feature of the museum is that the curators aren’t holding back from representing the industry’s ugly side. Director and President of the Academy Museum Bill Kramer mentioned that while they’ve shown inspirational milestones over the years, it’s also important to create a safe space for people to hold conversations around racism, oppression, gender disparity, sexism, and more. The museum, opening shortly, offers visitors an experience of the world of cinema in one big space like never before.
