Two screenings of “The Wizard of Oz” with a live symphony accompaniment are scheduled for the grand opening of the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures.
The Academy Museum announced its inaugural in-person programming schedule this week.
Director Pedro Almodóvar is among the filmmakers who will curate an exhibit for the Academy Museum. He will contribute to “Stories of Cinema,” but specific exhibition details have not yet been announced.
The Museum will open officially Sept. 30 and offer virtual programming leading up to the grand opening.
For example, a conversation with filmmakers Spike Lee and Shaka King, and a 20th-anniversary screening of the Oscar-nominated Mexican feature “Y Tu Mamá También,” including a conversation with the writer and director Alfonso Cuarón and cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki.
During the initial three months after opening, the Academy Museum will offer a large slate of more than 115 screenings, discussions, and programs, along with ongoing special and standalone series.
The Museum will require visitors to follow all COVID-19 public health guidelines by the state of California and the Los Angeles County Health Department in place at the time of their visit.
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Academy Museum campus
The Academy Museum is the largest institution in the United States devoted to the arts, sciences, and artists of moviemaking.
The Museum’s mission is to advance “the understanding, celebration, and preservation of cinema through inclusive and accessible exhibitions, screenings, programs, initiatives, and collections.”
Designed by Pritzker Prize-winning architect Renzo Piano, the Museum’s campus is built around the restored and revitalized historic Saban Building — formerly known as the May Company building that was built in 1939 — and a massive spherical addition.
The 300,000-square-foot Museum will include more than 50,000 square feet of exhibition spaces, two state-of-the-art theaters, and the Shirley Temple Education Studio.
This aerial shot show the enormous size of the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures, which is located at the intersection of Wilshire Boulevard and Fairfax Avenue. Photo: Courtesy of the Academy Museum Foundation.
The Museum has actively been acquiring three-dimensional motion-picture objects since 2008. Its holdings are approximately 5,000 items representing motion picture technology, costume design, production design, makeup and hairstyling, and promotional materials. The museum will also draw from the unparalleled collection of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, which contains a vast range of motion picture production and history-related objects and technology.
The campus also features spaces that are free and will be open to the public: The Walt Disney Company Piazza and the Academy Museum Grand Lobby, which houses the Spielberg Family Gallery, Academy Museum Store, and Fanny’s restaurant and café.
Academy Museum programming
Special film series and standalone screenings:
- “Malcolm X“ in 70mm: a screening for Academy Museum members of the seminal film, with special guests Spike Lee and Denzel Washington.
- Oscar Frights: featuring screenings of Oscar-winning and nominated horror films including “Get Out” and the original “Psycho” from 1960.
- “Hayao Miyazaki”: In conjunction with it’s landmark exhibition on Hayao Miyazaki, the Academy Museum will screen the filmmaker’s complete body of work as a feature director, including 1988’s “My Neighbor Totoro” and 2001’s “Spirited Away.”
- “Imperfect Journey: Haile Gerima and His Comrades”: This series focuses on Haile Gerima’s work as a director showcasing the Pan-African experience and the work of some of his mentees and comrades, including Malik Sayeed, Bradford Young, and Arthur Jafa.
- “Sound Off: A Celebration of Women Composers”: In honor of the Academy Museum’s gallery created with composer Hildur Guðnadóttir, “Sound Off” will feature screenings of films scored by women composers, including 2019’s “Joker,” scored by Guðnadóttir and 1982’s “Tron,” scored by Wendy Carlos.
- “Beyond the Icon: Anna May Wong”: The early film star’s work and legacy are spotlighted, including screenings of 1929’s “Piccadilly” and 1932’s “Shanghai Express.”
Tickets, admission, hours
- Tickets to film screenings and public programs, which are sold separately and do not require general admission to the museum, will be available for sale on the Academy Museum’s website Aug. 5 at 9 a.m.
- Film screening tickets are $10 for adults, $7 for seniors (age 62+), $5 for college students, $5 for children (age 17 and younger), and $8 for Academy Museum members.
- Public and education program tickets range from free with admission to $20 for adults.
- General admission tickets for the Academy Museum’s exhibitions — “Stories of Cinema,” “Hayao Miyazaki,” “The Path to Cinema: Highlights from the Richard Balzer Collection,” and “Backdrop: An Invisible Art” — are $25 for adults, $19 for seniors (age 62+), and $15 for students.
- Admission for Museum members, visitors 17 and younger, and California residents with an EBT card will be free.
- The Academy Museum exhibition galleries will be open seven days a week, Sunday through Thursday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Friday and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.
