The Academy Museum of Motion Pictures

The Academy Museum of Motion Pictures, the largest institution in the United States dedicated solely to the art, science, and artists of filmmaking, has finally opened its doors to the public, marking the culmination of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences' decades long ambition to establish a premier world-class film museum.

The idea for a dedicated movie museum dates back to the Academy’s earliest days. The institution, responsible for the annual Academy Awards, sought a permanent home to celebrate the history of cinema and preserve its cultural artifacts.

The museum’s unique architectural vision, led by Pritzker Prize-winning architect Renzo Piano and the Renzo Piano Building Workshop in collaboration with Gensler, masterfully unites the old with the new. The campus, which totals 300,000 square feet, is comprised of two distinct structures:

• The Saban Building (The Historical Core): The museum’s main structure is a complete restoration and renovation of the 1939 May Company building, a celebrated Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument. This six-story Streamline Moderne landmark, known for its distinctive gold-tiled cylinder, now houses the majority of the museum’s galleries and educational spaces.

  
  

• The Sphere Building (The David Geffen Theater): A striking, spherical addition of glass and concrete is connected to the Saban Building by glass bridges. This new structure is home to the 952-seat David Geffen Theater, a state-of-the-art cinematic venue, and the Dolby Family Terrace, an open-air promenade that offers panoramic views of the city. A smaller, 277-seat Ted Mann Theater is also located within the Saban Building. In total, the campus features over 50,000 square feet of gallery space.

Before and After: The May Company Building on the corner of Wilshire and Fairfax in Los Angeles (Left), and the domed structure addition to the building., housing the David Geffen Theater and Dolby Family Terrace (Right)

The museum's opening showcases its expansive collection of over 13 million objects, including costumes, props, scripts, and production art. The core exhibition, "Stories of Cinema," is a multi-floor journey presenting diverse narratives and complex histories of moviemaking.

It's inaugural flagship exhibition, "Hayao Miyazaki," marked the first North American museum retrospective dedicated to the internationally celebrated Japanese filmmaker and artist. Curated by Jessica Niebel and J. Raúl Guzmán, the exhibition features over 300 objects, including original image boards, character designs, and cels from Studio Ghibli's archives—many displayed outside of Japan for the first time. The immersive environments guide visitors through the worlds of his animated feature films, from My Neighbor Totoro to the Oscar-winning Spirited Away.

On Display: The Hayao Miyazaki Exhibition (Left), and the Stories of Cinema Gallery (Right)

To celebrate the momentous occasion and introduce the museum's vision to a global audience, an official grand opening film was commisioned and produced by the New York-based creative agency Atsion Run Media. Led by award-winning Director Will Bozarth and shot by acclaimed Cinematographer Justin Ivan Hong, the film takes an in-depth look at how the museum came to be, details the construction milestones across the years, and gives a glimpse into all the opening exhibitions and all the other things the museum has to offer.

The creative forces behind the Museum's Opening Film: Director Will Bozartgh (Left), and Cinematographer Justin Ivan Hong (Right)

The Academy Museum of Motion Pictures is located at 6067 Wilshire Boulevard in Los Angeles, California, and is now open to the public six days a week, 10am–6pm. The museum is closed on Tuesdays.