A December 2020 has been set for the opening date of the long-awaited Academy Museum of Motion Pictures. Announced by film legend and co-chair Tom Hanks at the 92nd Academy Awards, the date will see an historic new institution come to life, celebrating the art and science of movies through exhibitions, screenings and public and educational programs.
Dubbed an unparalleled experience for movie lovers, the museum will be a gathering place for filmmakers and movie fans the world over, focused on becoming the preeminent spot for sharing the Oscars legacy and further fulfilling the Academy’s mission to connect the world through cinema.
The museum will open doors on Monday 14th December, following a whopping nine decades of planning and a rumoured cost of at least $338 million.
Further details will be revealed closer to the museum’s opening, but we do know that major construction has been completed on the building, which was designed by world-renowned architect Renzo Piano and is located on Los Angeles’ ritzy Miracle Mile. The Academy Museum recently announced that it has reached the 95% mark in its $388 million pre-opening campaign, and installation of four floors of immersive, innovative exhibitions is now beginning.
We also know that across six floors, the museum will host exhibition spaces, a 288-seat theatre (of course), special event spaces, conversation areas, a cafe, and a store, as well as a specially designed studio named in honour of the great Shirley Temple – the Shirley Temple Education Studio. A glass bridge will connect the main Saban Building to a spherical addition that will feature a state-of-the-art, 1000-seat theatre (the David Geffen Theatre) and the Dolby Family Terrace rooftop construction that will offer sweeping views of the Hollywood Hills.
More than a museum, this dynamic film centre will offer unparalleled experiences and insights into movies and moviemaking. “This is a museum only the Academy could create: exciting and illuminating; historic and contemporary” states Ron Meyer, chair of the Academy Museum Board of Trustees and Vice Chairman of NBCUniveral. “We look forward to sharing the global reach of cinema”.
For more information about what to expect from the museum head to academymuseum.org.
Article by Chris Singh and Peter Gray.
