THE ACADEMY MUSEUM OF MOTION PICTURES: 5 THINGS YOU CAN'T MISS

Photo by Joshua White,

Courtesy of the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures

As America’s largest institution devoted to the art and science of moviemaking, there’s always something to see at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures. Its enthralling exhibitions and experiences turn the dream factory inside out, delving deep beyond the screen to reveal the diverse stories of the creative people and processes behind the films we love.

With the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences’ collection of more than 13 million objects to draw upon, plus temporary exhibitions, two state-of-the-art theaters, special events, and an ever-changing calendar of programs and screenings, the 300,000-square-foot museum merits regular repeat visits.

We looked at 5 things not to miss on your first time.

1. ARCHITECTURE

The architecture of the Academy Museum alone justifies a visit. Its striking exterior by Pritzker Prize-winning architect Renzo Piano suggests something extremely special within. The museum occupies the 250,000-square-foot former May Company department store, a historic Streamline Moderne structure at the intersection of Wilshire Blvd. and Fairfax Ave. Dedicated as the Saban Building following a $50 million donation from philanthropists Cheryl and Haim Saban, its restoration included one third of the 350,000 gold-leaf mosaic tiles on its distinctive gold cylinder being meticulously replaced by their original Italian manufacturer. Piano also added the otherworldly Sphere. Overlaid with 1,500 multi-shaped glass shingles, this soaring structure houses the David Geffen Theater and the glass-domed Dolby Family Terrace, with views from the Hollywood Sign to the Getty Center.

2. REGENERATION: BLACK CINEMA 1898-1971

The first of its kind, Regeneration: Black Cinema 1898-1971 is an in-depth, research-driven exploration of Black participation in American filmmaking. Now through April 9, 2023, this feature exhibit reveals the important yet all too often unsung history of African American filmmakers in the development of this country’s cinema, from its early days to just after the civil rights movement. Regeneration highlights the work of independent African American filmmakers, with the goal of redefining US film history by elevating this underrepresented aspect of artistic production and presenting a more inclusive story.

3. COLLECTION HIGHLIGHTS

Photo by Joshua White,
 Courtesy of the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures

The Academy Museum draws upon not only its own incredible collection of film-related objects and technology, but also the unparalleled accumulation of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences, including literally millions of costumes, film reels, posters, props, production design drawing, screenplays and more. Get up close with evocative pieces of movie history like the menacing extraterrestrial headpiece worn in 1979’s “Alien”; Dorothy’s ruby slippers from “The Wizard of Oz”; the last surviving full-scale shark model from “Jaws”; an annotated page from Gregory Peck’s script for controversial 1962 classic “To Kill a Mockingbird”; and the typewriter used by screenwriter Joseph Stefano for Alfred Hitchcock’s genre-shaping horror thriller “Psycho.”

Photo by Joshua White,

Courtesy of the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures

4. STORIES OF CINEMA EXHIBITION

The multi-floor “Stories of Cinema” is the Academy Museum’s ever-evolving core exhibition exploring narrative movies, documentaries, animation, and the arts and sciences behind them. It begins in the Grand Lobby of the Saban Building, where a towering glass-walled gallery and multiscreen experience serve as a free introduction. The second floor currently showcases "Significant Movies & Moviemakers" featuring "Casablanca" and "Boyz N the Hood"; "The Art of Moviemaking: The Godfather"; the history of the Academy Awards; and "Director's Inspiration: Agnès Varda." On the third floor, familiar faces like R2-D2, Bugs Bunny, and Okoye from “Black Panther” are on view in the multi-room "Inventing Worlds & Characters" experience, alongside special installations by director Pedro Almodóvar and composer Hildur Guðnadóttir.

5. THE PATH TO CINEMA: HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE RICHARD BALZER COLLECTION

Photo by Joshua White,

Courtesy of the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures

The late Richard Balzer was a collector and author fascinated by anything related to visual entertainment. His 9,000-piece collection, gathered and meticulously preserved over more than 40 years, includes pre-cinema curiosities from Europe, Asia and America dating as far back as the 17th century. Built around Balzer’s vast labor of love, this (sometimes literally) illuminating exhibition explores the evolution of today’s cinematic experience through a long tradition of optical amusements including peepshows, flip books, zoetropes, and kaleidoscopes, and featuring a magic lantern show created specifically for this exhibition. While quaint today, for generations before the advent of projected movies these were devices of transporting, almost magical wonder.

* By Paul Rogers, Los Angeles Tourism & Convention Board
633 West 5th Street, Suite 1800, Los Angeles, CA 90071, USA