The Academy Museum of Motion Pictures, Los Angeles: Oscars and more on show

Think it takes a long time to make a movie? Try building a museum. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences first broached the idea of a film museum in 1929. However, it wasn't until 2012 that the job was eventually given to Pritzker Prize-winning Italian architect Renzo Piano of London Shard fame. Construction started in 2015 and the museum finally opened on September 30, 2021. Don't hold your breath for a sequel.

Thankfully, it was worth the wait. Spread across two connected buildings on Wilshire Boulevard, Los Angeles (the former May Company department store and a striking new glass and concrete sphere with sweeping views of the Hollywood Hills), the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures is a fascinating deep dive into the filmmaking process

The three-floor exhibition Stories of Cinema covers everything from set design to sound recording to auditioning to make-up. There are interesting displays on seminal movies and actors, including Citizen Kane and Bruce Lee, plus temporary exhibits on influential directors, such as Spike Lee, with outfits, original scripts and personal items, including his handwritten 2019 Academy Awards acceptance speech.

Naturally, the Awards take centre stage, with a selection of original Oscar statuettes (official name: an Academy Award of Merit) plus videos showing memorable speeches, such as Halle Berry's emotional address after winning Best Actress for Monster's Ball and Michael Moore's anti-Bush tirade after scooping Best Documentary Feature with Bowling for Columbine.

Pay another $US15 for the Oscars Experience and you too can feel the sweaty-palmed anticipation of being backstage at the awards ceremony. Wait behind a red curtain for your name to be called, then emerge to riotous applause to collect an authentic gold-plated Oscar (which you'll have to give back, but you can keep the video).

As well as the permanent displays, there's a range of rotating temporary exhibits. During my visit, there is a retrospective on Japanese filmmaker Hayao Miyazaki and there's now also an exhibit on the history and impact of African-American filmmaking.

Hollywood has had more than its fair share of scandals over the years and refreshingly the museum doesn't shy away from these difficult topics. There are displays addressing racial stereotyping, #metoo and climate change, plus less obvious practices such as the use of white actors to voice animated characters of colour.