Academy Museum unveils more details of exhibitions and online events
The new LA-based museum promises it will "not shy away" from controversial topics
The body behind the annual Oscars has unveiled new details of their £280 million museum.
The Academy Museum of Motion Pictures in Los Angeles will open in September and is promised to be “world’s premier institution devoted to exploring the art and science of movies and movie making.” It will will feature more than 50,000 square feet of gallery space, two film and performance theaters, a state-of-the-art education studio and a terrace with sweeping views of the Hollywood Hills.
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The main permanent galleries have been called Stories of Cinema and will encompass three floors highlighting multiple stories about movie-making. There’ll be a gallery devoted the iconic film The Wizard of Oz, and other highlights include spaces on casting and performing, the work of cinematographers, and a special collaboration with Pedro Almodóvar. And for visitors who have always wanted to know what it feels like to accept an Academy Award, there’ll be an immersive environment which recreates that very moment, called the Oscars Experience.
But the organisation behind the new museum - the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences - also said that it will “not shy away from” examining controversies from cinema’s history, and will showcase recent issues such as the #MeToo movement and the #OscarsSoWhite controversy.
Ahead of the autumn opening, the Academy Museum will offer a programme of online events which will kick-off alongside the 93rd Academy Awards, which will broadcast on 25 April. The first virtual event will be called Breaking the Oscars Ceiling, and will be a conversation with actor Sophia Loren, actor and comedian Whoopi Goldberg, actor Marlee Matlin, and singer-songwriter Buffy Sainte-Marie. Other events include a virtual conversation with director Spike Lee, and an exploration on the making of the 2001 film Y tu mamá también.
Jacqueline Stewart, Chief Artistic and Programming Officer of the Academy Museum, said that they are “ready to welcome visitors first virtually and then in person in September.” She added that “the programs we are rolling out for our opening are dynamic, diverse, and deeply grounded in the history and artistry of filmmaking.”
The Academy Museum of Motion Pictures is opening on 30 September 2021