Preserving the Art of the Motion Picture
Established in 1991, the Academy Film Archive is a central component of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ mission to advance the arts and sciences of motion pictures. While the Academy is most famous for the annual Academy Awards, its work in film preservation through the Archive is arguably one of its most critical and enduring contributions to cinema. The Archive is dedicated to the acquisition, preservation, restoration, and study of films, working to ensure that the rich and diverse history of the medium is protected for future generations of filmmakers, scholars, and audiences.
Unlike some national archives that have a mandate to preserve a specific country’s cinematic output, the Academy Film Archive has a more global and artist-centric focus. Its collection is built around the work of filmmakers and the art of filmmaking itself, reflecting the international and collaborative nature of the medium that the Academy celebrates.
Scope and Collection
The Archive holds a vast and eclectic collection of moving image materials, containing over 230,000 individual items. Its holdings are notable for their diversity:
- Feature Films: The collection includes every film that has won an Academy Award for Best Picture, as well as thousands of other Oscar-nominated and winning films across all categories.
- Documentaries and Shorts: An extensive collection of documentary and short film nominees and winners.
- Avant-Garde Cinema: The Archive is a major repository for experimental and avant-garde film, holding the collections of prominent artists like Stan Brakhage, Gus Van Sant, and the Robert Downey Sr. Collection.
- Home Movies: A unique and invaluable part of the collection consists of home movies from Hollywood legends such as Alfred Hitchcock, Groucho Marx, and Esther Williams, offering rare, behind-the-scenes glimpses into their lives.
- Trailers: The Archive holds one of the largest collections of film trailers in the world.
Academy Film Archive: Restoration Projects
The Academy Film Archive is a world leader in the science and art of film restoration. It actively works to restore films that have been damaged by physical decay, color fading, or neglect. Using a combination of photochemical and digital techniques, its experts meticulously work to return films to their original glory. The Archive regularly partners with other institutions and studios on major restoration projects, and the results are often screened at international film festivals and at the Academy’s own Samuel Goldwyn Theater, showcasing the vital importance of this behind-the-scenes work.