Museum of the Moving Image

The story

A museum dedicated to film, television, and digital media lives inside a former building of the historic Astoria Studios — the same complex where movies were made long before Hollywood dominated the industry. It opened in 1988 as the American Museum of the Moving Image, and by 1996 had its permanent exhibition, "Behind the Screen", in place. A $67 million expansion redesigned by architect Thomas Leeser brought it back larger in 2011. It collects artifacts, runs panel discussions on current films, and hosts monthly screening series — keeping the building's connection to moving images genuinely alive.