The new exhibition, opening fall 2027, honors Mexican American, Chicano and Mexican contributions to American filmmaking through five thematic galleries
The Academy Museum of Motion Pictures announced its newest exhibition will honor Mexican American filmmaking and artistic expression.
Known as Cinelandia: Celebrating Mexican American Cinema, the exhibit is set to open on September 25, 2027 in the fourth-floor Marilyn and Jeffrey Katzenberg Gallery.
According to the Academy Museum, Cinelandia celebrates Mexican American, Chicano and Mexican contributions to American filmmaking throughout history and its impact on cultural identity, as well as how Mexican American filmmakers engage with other forms of artistic expression, including painting, literature, poetry, theater and music.
“This exhibition celebrates the extraordinary and vast contributions of filmmakers, artists, and audiences to cinematic history while also acknowledging the complexities of representation on screen,” Associate Curator Sophia Serrano said in a statement. “By bringing together films that span more than a century—from the silent era to contemporary works—we invite visitors to see how cinema has served as a space for cultural expression, resistance, creativity, and community.”
Organized by Serrano with assistant curator Emily Rauber Rodriguez and curatorial assistant Josue Lopez, the exhibition will include hundreds of original, rarely-seen costumes, props, posters, photographs and more.
What are the different galleries featured in the exhibition?
Cinelandia is organized into five thematic galleries:
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the fascinating relationship between Hollywood and Mexico in the silent and classical eras
filmmaking during the Chicano Movement of the 1960s
the rise of popular Chicano narrative films during the 1980s and 1990s, and the influence of New Mexican Cinema in the 1990s and 2000s
the fandom and popularity surrounding genre films from the 1960s to today
present-day animated, sci-fi, and fantasy films that draw from Mexican culture to reimagine identity and history
What key works will be included in the exhibition?
Babel (2006)
The Book of Life (2014)
Coco (2017)
Cronos (1992)
The Spanish-language Dracula (1931)
El Norte (1982)
Enamoreda (1946)
From Dusk Till Dawn (1996)
La Bamba (1987)
Mexican Spitfire (1940)
My Family/Mi Familia (1995)
Salt of the Earth (1954)
Santa (1932)
Selena (1997)
Sleep Dealer (2008)
Yo Soy Joaquín (1969)
Y Tu Mamá También (2001)
Zoot Suit (1981)
What are some of the previous exhibitions in the Marilyn and Jeffrey Katzenberg Gallery?
Cinelandia is the Academy Museum’s seventh large-scale exhibition in its Marilyn and Jeffrey Katzenberg Gallery. Previous exhibitions include
Hayao Miyazaki (2021–22)
Regeneration: Black Cinema 1898–1971 (2022–23)
John Waters: Pope of Trash (2023–24)
Color in Motion: Chromatic Explorations of Cinema (2024–25)
Jaws: The Exhibition (2025-26)
The Horror Show, opening September 26, 2026
“Cinelandia reveals the richness, range, and resilience of Mexican American and Mexican experiences, while encouraging new conversations through the enduring power of cinema,” Director and President of the Academy Museum and the Academy Collection Amy Homma said in a statement. “We are thrilled to present an exhibition that aims to build community while celebrating a beautiful history of cinematic achievement.”
The exhibition will be on view from September 25, 2027 to July 23, 2028.
The Academy Museum is the largest museum in the world devoted to global cinema and the arts, sciences, and artists of moviemaking.