Exhibitions
Hollywoodland: Jewish Founders and the Making of a Movie Capital

Current Exhibitions

Hollywoodland: Jewish Founders and the Making of a Movie Capital

Ongoing

Level 3 (L3) presented in the LAIKA Gallery

Free with Museum Admission

The Hollywood Sign, circa 1924. Courtesy Margaret Herrick Library

About the Exhibition

Hollywoodland: Jewish Founders and the Making of a Movie Capital, presented in English and Spanish, tells the origin story of filmmaking in early 20th-century Los Angeles, spotlighting the impact of the predominately Jewish filmmakers whose establishment of the American film studio system transformed Los Angeles into a global epicenter of cinema.

This immersive gallery conveys the evolving topography of Los Angeles along the timeline of the developing movie industry, encouraging further exploration of the city’s landmarks. The exhibition spotlights the Jewish founders of the Hollywood studio system, foregrounding the ways in which the birth of the American film industry—and the depiction of the American Dream—is at its heart an immigrant story. By exploring the origins of major studios as well as independent film production in Los Angeles, the exhibition conveys impactful stories of ingenuity and offers a deeper understanding of motion picture history.

Hollywoodland is curated by Associate Curator Dara Jaffe with support from Research Assistant Josue Lopez and is the Academy Museum’s first permanent exhibition.

Projection of Los Angeles on table
Carl Laemmle, undated, courtesy Margaret Herrick Library
Elephants in front of studio gate of Paramount Pictures, Inc. located in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, undated. Courtesy Margaret Herrick Library, Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
Mabel Normand behind the camera, 1916. Courtesy Margaret Herrick Library, Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
From left: Sam Warner, Harry M. Warner, Jack L. Warner, and Albert Warner, undated. Courtesy Margaret Herrick Library, Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
Louis B. Mayer, ca. 1924, courtesy Margaret Herrick Library

On View: Hollywoodland

Hollywoodland: Jewish Founders and the Making of a Movie Capital_ -the museum's first permanent exhibition-tells the origin story of filmmaking in early 20th-century Los Angeles, spotlighting the impact of the predominantly Jewish filmmakers whose establishment of the American film studio system transformed Los Angeles into a global epicenter of cinema.

Supported By

Hollywoodland: Jewish Founders and the Making of a Movie Capital is made possible by generous gifts from the Blavatnik Family Foundation, Margo and Irwin Winkler, A. Scott Berg and Kevin McCormick, Jeffrey Berg and Denny Luria, the Jules Brenner Trust, Bronni Stein Connolly, Dorchester Collection, William Fox, Jr. Foundation, Adam and Abbe Aron, the Ronald L. Blanc Family, Barbara Roisman Cooper and Martin M. Cooper, the Mark Gordon Family, Hawk and Molly Koch and Family, Peter, Melissa, and Emma Koss, Gail and Warren Lieberfarb, Elaine Mae Woo, and the Ruderman Family Foundation. Additional support provided by the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors through the Los Angeles County Department of Arts and Culture and David Berg Foundation. Academy Museum Digital Engagement Platform sponsored by Bloomberg Philanthropies. 

Hollywoodland is located on Level 3 in the LAIKA Gallery.