Academy Announces Major New Film Acquisitions and Leadership Role for Amy Homma

Los Angeles, CA — The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has announced a major expansion of its world-renowned Academy Collection, alongside a significant leadership change aimed at strengthening the preservation of global film history.

The Academy revealed that Amy Homma will be elevated to a newly created role as Director and President of the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures and the Academy Collection. The move brings together, for the first time, all of the Academy Foundation’s collections, conservation, preservation, exhibitions, and screening efforts under one leadership structure. Homma will now oversee the 52-million-piece Academy Collection, the largest film-related collection in the world.

Bicycle from Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure (1985): © Academy Museum Foundation, Photo by: Joshua White/JWPictures

Arthur Dong Collection – Photograph of Anna May Wong signed to singer Frances Chun (Kan): Image courtesy of the Margaret Herrick Library

James Pepper Collection on Orson Welles – An invitation from Orson Welles to Paul Stewart to attend the wrap party for Citizen Kane (1941): Image courtesy of the Margaret Herrick Library

Frank Meadows photographs – Behind-the-scenes photograph from Jaws (1975): Image courtesy of the Margaret Herrick Library

Still from Mysterious Skin (2004)

B Michael fashion design drawing for Cicely Tyson: Image courtesy of the Margaret Herrick Library

Academy Awards show photographs – Cicely Tyson at the 91st Academy Awards: Image courtesy of the Margaret Herrick Library, Photo by: Kyusung Gong

Still from One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (1975)

Academy CEO Bill Kramer said the change reflects the Academy’s long-term commitment to protecting cinematic history. “Bringing our collections and museum teams together is a logical evolution of our preservation work,” Kramer said, adding that Homma’s leadership will expand global access to the collection.

Homma will work closely with Matt Severson, Executive Vice President of Academy Collection and Preservation, along with teams at the Academy Film Archive and the Margaret Herrick Library.

“This alignment allows us to make film history more accessible to future generations of filmmakers and audiences,” Severson said.

Iconic Film Objects Added to the Collection

Alongside the leadership announcement, the Academy unveiled a wide range of new acquisitions added to the Academy Collection. Highlights include:

• The screen-used hero bicycle from Pee-wee’s Big Adventure (1985)
• Rare scripts and personal correspondence from filmmaker Orson Welles, including materials from Citizen Kane and Touch of Evil
• Never-before-seen behind-the-scenes photographs from the set of Jaws (1975)
• The couture gown worn by Cicely Tyson at the 91st Academy Awards
• Costumes from Desk Set (1957) and Boogie Nights (1997)

The collection has also grown through major donations from filmmakers, executives, designers, and artists including Allison Anders, Arthur Dong, Sherry Lansing, Freida Lee Mock, Mary Ellen Mark, Walter Mirisch, and many others.

Film Restorations and Archive Additions

The Academy Film Archive added more than 1,000 new audio and visual elements in the past year, including casting session footage featuring actors such as Jennifer Lawrence, Andrew Garfield, Zac Efron, and Saoirse Ronan.

Newly restored films include Mysterious Skin (2004), One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (1975), and Saint Joan (1957), all of which premiered on the West Coast at the Academy Museum.

Global Access and Cultural Impact

Over the last year, hundreds of objects from the Academy Collection were loaned to museums and institutions across North America, Europe, Asia, and South America, while films from the archive were screened at festivals and cinematheques in more than 20 countries.

Founded in 1927, the Academy has spent nearly a century collecting and preserving film history. Today, the public can access parts of the Academy Collection through exhibitions and screenings at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures, the Margaret Herrick Library, the Academy Film Archive, and online at academycollection.org.