Sneak into the Academy Film Museum

As Margaret Thatcher famously said, if you want to get something done, ask a woman...When it was founded in 1927, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, which awards the Academy Awards, planned to open a museum devoted to the history of film. More than 90 years later, the Academy Film Museum is slated to open in Los Angeles. And we have Dawn Hudson to thank for that.

When Hudson was hired as CEO of the Academy in 2011, she made it her mission to make the museum idea a reality. I had worked in the industry for 20 years and didn't know all that the Academy did," says Hudson, who was executive director of Film Independent, which produces the Spirit Awards and the LA Film Festival. She is referring to the fact that even 93 years ago, the Academy "had a vision that films were worth preserving," Hudson says.

The Academy began collecting art in 1929, and today, in addition to the ruby slippers from "The Wizard of Oz," Shirley Temple's tap shoes, and the typewriter used to write "Psycho," the Academy has over 12 million photographs, 85,000 scripts, 63,000 movie posters. But they are all tucked away in archives and vaults, largely unknown to the public. Our history is overflowing," Hudson says. Our history is overflowing, yet few people knew about it. It occurred to me that if the Academy wasn't going to build a top-notch film museum, who would?"

Five months after joining, she was given a one-year reprieve by the Academy's board of directors (similar to a board of governors) to secure a $5 million location and raise $100 million in donations. The advantage of being a rookie," Hudson says, "is that no one says no."

A year later, five minutes before the deadline, Hudson's team made its final pledge, and the board voted in favor of the museum's construction. It was, she says, "one of the best nights of my professional life."

The Academy hired Pritzker Prize-winning Italian architect Renzo Piano to design the two-building complex. The Academy also welcomed Rolex, the exclusive watchmaker of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and sponsor of the Academy Awards, as a founding supporter beginning in 2017. Rolex recognizes the Academy as a perfect partner through the Academy Awards, as the Academy's mission is to protect excellence, inspire imagination, and connect the world through the medium of film. Rolex has developed the Mentor and Protégé Arts Initiative, in which Hollywood heavyweights such as Alejandro G. Iñárritu and Martin Scorsese are asked to mentor budding directors to ensure that their artistry and know-how are passed on to future generations of filmmakers. Rolex does not pay for product placement, but its watches have been used by Marlon Brando in "Apocalypse Now," Sean Connery as James Bond, Faye Dunaway in "Network," Paul Newman in "The Color of Money," Titanic Bill Paxton, and countless other actors have worn the brand in films. One of the Museum's galleries is dedicated to reflecting on Rolex's long association with film. Through the museum, Rolex hopes to contribute to the preservation of film history and the transmission of knowledge about filmmaking to future generations.

In October, Rolex invited Marie Claire to attend the Governors' Awards. The Governors' Awards is a lavish event that honors a lifetime of achievement in the film industry. This year's event honored directors David Lynch and Lina Wertmüller (the first female director to be nominated for an Academy Award for Best Director) and actors Wes Studi and Geena Davis (advocates for gender equality in media).

The morning after the awards ceremony, we donned our hard hats and peeked into the museum. We toured the former May Company department store, now a six-story gallery space that curators will soon begin filling with the first special exhibit on Japanese animator and director Hayao Miyazaki and the history of black film from 1900 to 1970. The sphere will house the 1,000-seat David Geffen Theater, which will be used for premieres and other events.

Hudson hopes the museum will become L.A.'s premier tourist attraction. She sees it as a place for people like actress Laura Dern, one of the museum's trustees, who as a child told her parents she wanted to go somewhere where she could learn about movies. There was nowhere else to go but the Walk of Fame."

In the fall of 2020, Hollywood history will finally have a home.

While we will have to wait a few more months to see the film's story at the museum, Rolex is now showcasing the inspiring stories of iconic partners in filmmaking Kathryn Bigelow, James Cameron, Alejandro G. Iñárritu, Martin Scorsese The film is a part of the Rolex Film Festival. These filmmakers, handpicked by Rolex, are the epitome of filmmaking excellence, breaking boundaries and redefining the art of storytelling. Kathryn Bigelow shares her story of seeking mentorship and inspiration as she began her career.

A version of this article appears in the February 2020 issue of Marie Claire.

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