The Academy Museum, opening September 30, 2021, will be the largest institution in the United States devoted to the arts, sciences, and artists of moviemaking. The idea of a museum dedicated to Hollywood and the film industry was first discussed by Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks, founding members of the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences. Fairbanks also became the Academy’s first elected president in 1927. 90 years-plus later the vision of giving visitors an unprecedented opportunity to peer behind the screen of the dream factory is becoming a reality.

In 2012, Pritzker-Prize winning Italian architect Renzo Piano, together with Renzo Piano Building Workshop, led by Luigi Priano (Associate Architect), and Gensler, was commissioned to design the 300,000 square-foot campus. The project is currently led by Bill Kramer, Director and President of the Academy Museum.

To celebrate both the history and the contemporary importance of the industry, the site features a major renovation and expansion to the 1939 Streamline Moderne May Company building, an L.A. landmark now called the Saban Building, on Wilshire and Fairfax in the Miracle Mile neighborhood of Los Angeles. The historic building is paired with a new spherical structure, featuring the 1,000-seat state-of-the-art David Geffen Theatre and the Dolby Terrace to the north, with panoramic views of the Hollywood Hills and the iconic Hollywood sign. The merging of the old and the new is a fitting design to represent cinema that is constantly changing. An underground outdoor Piazza serves the city as a public space—emphasizing the importance of creating a strong daily connection between the community and the museum.

Crew Credits:

Production:
Creator and Executive Producer - Hernán Díaz Alonso
Producers - Marcelyn Gow/Reza Monahan
Director - Reza Monahan
Director of Photography - Sean Morris
B Camera - Armeen Monahan
C-Camera - Dillon Novak/Robert Moreno
Lighting/Grip - Christian Pepper
Sound Engineer - George Wymenga

Post-Production:
Story Producer - Caroline Post
Editors - Sean Morris/Reza Monahan
Sound Mixer - Christina Nguyen

Soundtrack by Steve Schmitt and Dave Abramson

Additional Photos and Video Courtesy of Academy Museum of Motion Pictures

Special thanks to Tanita Enderes, Stephanie Sykes and Daniel Gomez

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