The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has announced major new additions to the Academy Collection. There is also a key leadership change. This change brings its preservation and museum work under one strategic vision.
Amy Homma will take on the newly created role. She will become the Director and President, Academy Museum of Motion Pictures and Academy Collection. She will oversee all of the Academy Foundation’s collections. This includes conservation, preservation, exhibition, and screening activities for the first time. Under her remit falls the 52‑million‑piece Academy Collection, the world’s largest film‑related collection.
A unified home for film history
With this structural change, the Academy’s work is more closely aligned. This includes the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures, the Academy Film Archive, and the Margaret Herrick Library. Homma will work directly with Matt Severson, the Executive Vice President of Academy Collection and Preservation. They will collaborate with their teams to connect the museum’s public-facing programming to the deep resources of the collection.
Academy CEO Bill Kramer called preservation of global film history “a core focus of the Academy.” He stressed that the Collection is a vital tool for research, scholarship, exhibitions, and programs.
Furthermore, he described the closer integration of collections and museum teams as a “logical evolution.” He praised Homma as a “fantastic leader.” Homma has already expanded the museum’s reach.
Homma said she is honoured to bring together the library, archive, and museum “under one common vision.” This initiative aims to better serve a global community of film lovers and filmmakers. Severson highlighted that the alignment will help make film history more accessible to the next generation.
Highlights from the new acquisitions
The Academy has revealed a wide range of newly acquired items that cut across costumes, props, technology, paper archives and restored films. Together, they demonstrate the breadth of what “film heritage” means in practice.
Among the headline objects:
- Paul Reubens’ screen‑used hero bicycle from Pee‑wee’s Big Adventure (1985)
- A collection of rare scripts and correspondence belonging to Orson Welles, including a Citizen Kane (1941) script and wrap‑party invitation, plus Touch of Evil (1958) scripts annotated by Welles
- Over 70 never‑before‑seen Kodachrome slides taken on the set of Jaws (1975) by production boom operator Frank Meadows
- A couture gown worn by Cicely Tyson at the 91st Oscars, plus the original sketch by designer B Michael
- Personal collections from filmmakers and industry figures including Allison Anders, Arthur Dong, Sherry Lansing, Freida Lee Mock, Walter Mirisch, Mary Ellen Mark, Marcia Ross, Elizabeth Ziegler and others
The Academy has also added the Kobal Foundation Collection of Photograph Negatives. This includes around 20,000 original negatives featuring portraits and behind‑the‑scenes images. These images are by classic Hollywood photographers such as Clarence Sinclair Bull, George Hurrell, and Ruth Harriet Louise. New reference materials include more than 600 books, 2,600 magazines and 2,200 posters from 46 countries.
Costumes, props and technology
New costume and production object acquisitions span decades of cinema:
- Cicely Tyson’s Oscars gown by B Michael
- A Charles Lemaire costume worn by Katharine Hepburn in Desk Set (1957)
- A Mark Bridges costume worn by Heather Graham as Rollergirl in Boogie Nights (1997), plus her screen‑used roller skates
- Tap shoes worn by James Cagney in Yankee Doodle Dandy (1942)
Production and effects‑related objects include:
- The bicycle from Pee‑wee’s Big Adventure (1985)
- An animatronic Freddy Krueger television and control box from A Nightmare on Elm Street III: Dream Warriors (1987)
- A xenomorph trophy skull prop from Predator 2 (1990)
- Multiple life casts of actors including Jane Alexander, Danny DeVito, Steve Martin, Paul Newman, Al Pacino, Brooke Shields, Sylvester Stallone and Carl Weathers
- A prosthetic makeup test bust of John Hurt as “John Merrick” from The Elephant Man (1980)
- Character maquettes, hairpieces and makeup appliances from The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (2005)
Technical artefacts further extend the story of filmmaking tools:
- A life cast and registration mask for Tom Hanks used to create motion‑capture effects in The Polar Express (2004)
- An ARRI camera used by documentary pioneer Robert J. Flaherty (c. 1940s)
- A Lumière Model A projector (c. 1897)
New Oscar statuettes entering the collection include:
- John Alcott’s Oscar for Cinematography for Barry Lyndon (1975)
- Ray Gilbert’s Oscar for the original song “Zip‑A‑Dee‑Doo‑Dah” for Song of the South (1946)
- Warren Newcombe’s Oscar for Special Effects for Green Dolphin Street (1947)
Archive, scripts and production materials
The Academy has also significantly expanded its paper and photographic holdings, which document the creative and industrial sides of moviemaking. Highlights include:
- Arthur Dong’s collection of 1,500+ items examining Chinese representation in Hollywood and Chinese American contributions to cinema
- Scripts and production material from Allison Anders (Mi Vida Loca, Gas Food Lodging). Material is also available from Marvin March (Annie, Addams Family Values). In addition, material from Walter Mirisch (Midway, Same Time, Next Year, Fiddler on the Roof) is included. Contributions from Freida Lee Mock, Marcia Ross (Clueless, 10 Things I Hate About You), Elizabeth Ziegler (Ghost, Wayne’s World), Heidi Levitt, Joan Eisenberg, Sandi Tan, W.D. Richter, Judi Levine and Ben Lewin, Gints Zilbalodis, and Jack Arnold are included as well.
- At the same time, more than 3,500 photographic prints by Mary Ellen Mark, including on‑set images from Apocalypse Now (1979) and Fellini Satyricon (1969)
- Around 20,000 original negatives assembled by film historian John Kobal, featuring stars such as Marlene Dietrich, Greta Garbo, Rock Hudson and Elizabeth Taylor
- Costume design drawings by Edith Head for Kim Novak in Vertigo (1958)
- Makeup continuity notebooks and cast Polaroids for Rocky (1976)
- The handwritten score and sheet music for the title song from High Noon (1952), “High Noon (Do Not Forsake Me, Oh My Darlin’),” by Dimitri Tiomkin
- Behind‑the‑scenes photographs from Badlands (1973) by Ira M. Resnick, and images from Opening Night (1977) and The Killing of a Chinese Bookie (1976) by Joan Almond
- Slides from Sergei Eisenstein’s unproduced ¡Que Viva Mexico!
- A Japanese poster for Aparajito (1956) by Satyajit Ray
New films, restorations and screenings
Over the past year, the Academy Film Archive has added more than 1,000 audio and visual elements, including:
- Casting‑session videos from casting director and Academy governor Richard Hicks, featuring actors such as Zac Efron, Andrew Garfield, Jennifer Lawrence and Saoirse Ronan
- A 35mm print of His Three Daughters (2024)
- A new 35mm print of 8½ (1963) made from the original negative
- Completed visual‑effects shots, composite shots and “bake‑off” reels for Star Wars (1977), Die Hard (1988), Batman Returns (1992) and Big Trouble in Little China (1986) from Boss Films
Through preservation work, the Archive has created more than 30 new film prints and digital 4K restorations, including:
- Mysterious Skin (2004)
- One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (1975)
- Saint Joan (1957)
These restorations had their West Coast premieres at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures, underlining the link between preservation and public access.
Global access and impact
The Academy’s growing collection remains a core resource for research, exhibitions and cultural exchange worldwide:
- The Margaret Herrick Library supported 30 exhibitions in the past year (including six at the Academy Museum), providing more than 400 items to shows such as Stories of Cinema, Color in Motion: Chromatic Explorations of Cinema and Cyberpunk: Envisioning Possible Futures Through Cinema.
- 779 objects from the Collection were loaned to institutions across North America, Europe, Asia and South America.
- The Academy Film Archive loaned films for over 300 screenings at cinematheques and festivals in 20 countries, including more than 100 screenings at the Academy Museum.
These activities reinforce the Academy’s role as a steward of global film heritage and its commitment to public access.
Nearly a century of collecting
Since 1927, the Academy has been collecting and preserving film and film‑related materials. Today, its unparalleled holdings encompass every part of filmmaking: costumes, photographs, scripts, posters, production art, sound recordings, books, film and video assets, props, cameras, projectors, makeup and hairstyling tools, visual‑effects technologies, promotional materials and more. Through rigorous conservation and collections care, the Academy works to ensure that these cultural artefacts remain intact, accessible and meaningful for future generations.
How the public can access the Academy Collection
Audiences, researchers and filmmakers can engage with the Academy Collection through:
- Exhibitions, public programs and screenings at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures
- The Margaret Herrick Library reading room
- The Academy Film Archive public access centre
- Online at academycollection.org
Together, the new acquisitions and Homma’s expanded role signal a renewed and integrated push by the Academy to preserve, interpret and share film history on a global scale.
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