Amy Homma to Oversee Academy Museum Collection, Unveils Latest Acquisitions – Film News in Brief

Amy Homma, the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures’ director and president, has been elevated to run the 52-million-piece Academy collection, it was announced Tuesday. Additionally, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has unveiled a number of new acquisitions to the collection, including the screen-used hero bicycle from “Pee-wee’s Big Adventure” and a collection of rare scripts and correspondence belonging to Orson Welles. 

Homma’s promotion brings together all collections, conservation, preservation, exhibitions and screening for the first time. She will work directly with Executive Vice President, Academy Collection and Preservation, Matt Severson and the teams at the Academy Film Archive and Margaret Herrick Library.

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“The preservation of our global film history is a core focus of the Academy and we are honored to add so many exciting items to our ever-growing Academy Collection. The collection serves as an important tool for research, scholarship, exhibitions and programs,” said Academy CEO Bill Kramer in a statement. “Bringing our collections and museum teams together is a logical evolution of our preservation and conservation work. Amy Homma is a fantastic leader who, along with Matt Severson and his stellar collections teams, will greatly expand the reach of our Academy Collection—just as she has done with the Academy Museum.” 

Behind-the-scenes photographs from the set of “Jaws,” personal collections from Allison Anders, Arthur Dong, Sherry Lansing, and Freida Lee Mock, the couture gown worn by Cicely Tyson to the 91st Oscars, costumes designed by Charles Lemaire and Mark Bridges, and new restorations of “Mysterious Skin,” “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” and “Saint Joan” also comprise the new additions to the collection. 

“With our library, archive and museum, the Academy is the world’s premier place to celebrate, preserve and learn about our cinematic history,” said Homma in a statement. “I am honored to work with each of these incredibly talented teams and, alongside Matt, unite them under one common vision to bring these valuable resources to our global community.” 

The Academy, through its Academy Foundation, is a global leader in the conservation, preservation and exhibition of film-related objects and materials. Learn more about the Academy Collection here. 

Tuesday, January 13

The Coalition of Asian Pacifics in Entertainment Backs Three Filmmakers at Sundance

CAPE is representing at Sundance this year with three filmmakers to be on the lookout for. The Coalition of Asian Pacifics in Entertainment announced that projects supported by its pathway programs will screen across the festival’s U.S. Dramatic Competition and Midnight Short Film lineup.

Beth de Araújo’s “Josephine” will premiere in the U.S. Dramatic Competition. Araújo is a grantee of the inaugural CAPE and TAFF Rising Filmmakers Finishing Fund and previously broke out with her SXSW 2022 debut “Soft & Quiet.” Her latest film follows an 8-year-old girl grappling with fear and control after witnessing a crime in Golden Gate Park. The cast includes Mason Lily Reeves, Gemma Chan, Channing Tatum, Phillip Ettinger and Syra McCarthy. Also in the U.S. Dramatic Competition is “Take Me Home,” written and directed by Liz Sargent, a 2022 grantee of CAPE’s Julia S. Gouw Short Film Challenge. Expanded from Sargent’s 2023 Sundance short, the film examines disability, family and independence after the death of a mother, starring newcomer Anna Sargent alongside Ali Ahn and Victor Slezak.

Rounding out the slate is “Taga,” written and directed by Jill Sachs, which will screen in Sundance’s Midnight Short Film program. A 2024 Julia S. Gouw Short Film Challenge grantee, Sachs brings a folk-horror lens to a story about a Filipina-American woman reconnecting with her roots in the Philippines, only to confront the consequences of cultural disrespect. The film stars Kim Adis, Lisa Jacqueline Starrett, Ian S. Peterson, Joey Scoma, Bong Cabrera, Chloe Jackson and Jemimah Bogbog.

CAPE is a nonprofit dedicated to advancing Asian American and Pacific Islander representation in Hollywood through talent development, cultural consulting and project advocacy.

Art Directors Guild to Honor Jon M. Chu With 2026 Cinematic Imagery Award

Jon M. Chu will receive the Art Directors Guild’s 2026 Cinematic Imagery Award, the ADG (IATSE Local 800) announced Tuesday. The honor recognizes filmmakers whose body of work has enriched visual storytelling while elevating the role of production design and the art department. Previous recipients include Steven Spielberg, Martin Scorsese, Christopher Nolan, Jane Campion and Baz Luhrmann.

Chu is being honored as his collaboration with the art department continues to draw industry attention through the “Wicked” franchise. His most recent film, “Wicked: For Good,” opened No. 1 at the global box office following its November release and follows the Oscar-nominated first installment, which became the highest-grossing Broadway musical adaptation in box office history. Both “Wicked: For Good” and the concert special “Wicked: One Wonderful Night” also recently earned nominations for the ADG’s Excellence in Production Design Awards.

Known for visually ambitious studio films such as “Crazy Rich Asians” and “In the Heights,” Chu’s work spans large-scale blockbusters and musical adaptations that emphasize world-building and design-driven storytelling. The Cinematic Imagery Award will be presented at the 30th Annual Excellence in Production Design Awards on Feb. 28 at the InterContinental Los Angeles Downtown.

Monday, January 12

GKIDS Sets IMAX Preview and February Release for Japan’s Oscar Entry ‘Kokuho’

GKIDS has unveiled release plans for “Kokuho,” Japan’s official submission for Best International Feature at the 98th Academy Awards. The film will screen exclusively in IMAX theaters across North America for one night only on Jan. 21, playing on 15 screens nationwide, before opening in New York, Los Angeles and Toronto on Feb. 6. A wider North American expansion begins Feb. 20.

Directed by Sang-il Lee (“Pachinko” Season 2, “Hula Girls”), the live-action epic stars Ryo Yoshizawa, Ryusei Yokohama and Academy Award nominee Ken Watanabe. Spanning decades, “Kokuho” follows an actor who sacrifices everything in pursuit of becoming the greatest at his craft, set against the traditions and pressures of Kabuki theater. Yoshizawa trained for 18 months in Kabuki to prepare for his role.

A record-breaking hit in Japan, “Kokuho” became the country’s highest-grossing live-action film of all time, surpassing a 22-year record with more than $111 million at the box office and over 12.3 million tickets sold. The film was shortlisted in December for two Oscar categories: Best International Feature and Best Makeup and Hairstyling.

“Kokuho” premiered at Cannes in Directors’ Fortnight and went on to screen at the Shanghai International Film Festival, Toronto International Film Festival and AFI Fest. Lee was also honored with the Akira Kurosawa Award at the Tokyo International Film Festival.

The release marks a notable expansion for GKIDS into contemporary live-action cinema, following its success as a leading distributor of international animation.