The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced today that it has received a $20 million gift from the Dalian Wanda Group for the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures. The gift was made as part of the Academy Museum’s $300 million capital campaign and is the second largest commitment received to date. In recognition of this gift, the Academy will name the Museum’s film history gallery The Wanda Gallery.

“The Academy Museum of Motion Pictures is a global cultural institution and the Dalian Wanda Group’s support of the project speaks to the worldwide importance and appeal of the movies,” said Academy Museum Campaign Chair Bob Iger. “Their gift to the Academy Museum is a huge boost to our efforts to design and build the world’s leading movie museum.”

The Academy launched the Museum’s capital campaign in 2012 and has already secured more than half of the campaign’s goal in commitments. The campaign is co-chaired by Annette Bening and Tom Hanks.

Jianlin Wang, Chairman of the Dalian Wanda Group, noted, “Our relationship with the Academy is an important part of our role in the global motion picture industry, I am, and the Dalian Wanda Group is, very pleased to partner with the Academy and support the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures.”

Artist’s rendering

Designed by architects Renzo Piano and Zoltan Pali, the Academy Museum will be located next to the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) in the historic Wilshire May Company building. Slated to open in early 2017, the Academy Museum will contain nearly 300,000 square feet of state-of-the-art galleries, exhibition spaces, theaters, screening rooms, education centers, and special event spaces.  “Dalian Wanda Group’s generosity will help the Academy create an immersive permanent exhibit that will illuminate and explore the history of moviemaking—one that explores movies from a global perspective,” said Academy President Cheryl Boone Isaacs.

Also, as part of a larger partnership with the Dalian Wanda Group, the Academy will extend its global programming reach and advise the Dalian Wanda Group on film screenings and symposia in China.  “The Academy is deeply committed to promoting and encouraging the creation and exploration of movies around the globe,” said Dawn Hudson, the Academy’s CEO. “Our partnership with the Dalian Wanda Group will help the Academy reach a vast, new movie-going audience in China.”

About the Academy

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is the world’s preeminent movie-related organization, with a membership of more than 6,000 of the most accomplished men and women working in cinema. In addition to the annual Academy Awards–in which the members vote to select the nominees and winners–Academy presents a diverse year-round slate of public programs, exhibitions and events; provides financial support to a wide range of other movie-related organizations and endeavors; acts as a neutral advocate in the advancement of motion picture technology; and, through its Margaret Herrick Library and Academy Film Archive, collects, preserves, restores and provides access to movies and items related to their history. Through these and other activities the Academy serves students, historians, the entertainment industry and people everywhere who love movies.