After decades of planning, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences will finally open its Los Angeles film museum this September (2021). 

The Academy has planned to build a top-tier museum ever since the 1920s; they acquired the May Company Building at Wilshire and Fairfax’s junction in the 1990s to do just that. Bill Kramer took over to lead the museum after the previous fine arts curator departed in 2019. 

The museum will consist of two-buildings, one five-story site, and a spherical building next-door, with a “Streamline Moderne” design. Two bridges connect the two buildings, and it has a viewing terrace visitors can enjoy.

The museum will have galleries dedicated to movie making, production design, casting, sound mixing, and make-up. It will also consist of a Debbie Reynolds Conservation Studio, a Shirley Temple Education Studio, and the Spielberg Family Gallery. Additionally, visitors can also sit down in one of the cinema rooms and watch videos about movie history.

The Academy is determined to promote diversity at the museum, celebrating films from past centuries and current ones. Acclaimed names will be featured in the museum, such as Bruce Lee and less-known like Oscar Micheaux. He was one of the first renowned African American producers and directors. 

In September, it will open with an exhibition revolved around “The Wizard of Oz” and put a spotlight on the work of Spain’s Pedro Almodovar and Japanese filmmaker Hayao Miyazaki.

Another intriguing feature is a virtual reality exhibit in which visitors can hold an academy award on the Dolby Theatre stage where the Oscars are held each year. 

One thing’s for sure, this museum is the place to be for film lovers and will educate all patrons on the world of cinema.