Jacqueline Stewart has been director and CEO of The Academy Museum of Motion Pictures since July 2022 and previously served as the new museum‘s chief artistic and programming officer. She is a leading film historian, scholar, archivist and educator, and the author of the award-winning book Migrating to the Movies: Cinema and Black Urban Modernity. In addition, she hosts ‘Silent Sunday Nights’ on Turner Classic Movies and has taught American film history at the University of Chicago, specialising in African American cinema.
Following the announcement of her appointment as president and CEO, Ted Sarandos, chair of the Academy Museum’s Board of Trustees and co-CEO of Netflix, said, “The Board warmly and unanimously agrees that Jacqueline Stewart is the ideal choice to lead the Academy Museum into the future.
“A strong and inspiring partner to Bill Kramer throughout the period leading up to our opening, she gave indispensable direction to the curatorial program that has been so widely admired. Her assumption of the role of Director and President is a testament to both the intellectual heft of the Academy Museum and its institutional strength.”
Stewart herself added: “Our ambition in opening the Academy Museum was to give Los Angeles and the world an unprecedented institution for understanding and appreciating the history and culture of cinema, in all its artistic glory and all its power to influence and reflect society. I feel deeply honored to have been chosen for this new role and look forward to working with our Board of Trustees, our COO and General Counsel Brendan Connell Jr., our wonderfully talented staff, and with Bill Kramer and the Academy, as we continue to advance our mission.”
She also founded the South Side Home Movie Project in 2005, in order to preserve, digitise and screen amateur footage that documents the lives of South Side residents.