The Academy Museum Teen Council Presents Stand by Me

The Academy Museum Teen Council Presents Stand by Me

Made up of 31 teens ages 15 to 19 from all over Los Angeles, the Academy Museum’s Teen Council works with the museum’s education team to develop programming for their peers. Council members applied in the summer of 2022 and were selected based on their application short essays. Participation is a one-year commitment and a paid opportunity.   
 
For their final program, the 2022–23 Teen Council has selected to screen Stand by Me (1986), in collaboration with the Academy Film Archive, from a list of dozens of favorites. This timeless tale of growing up and grief explores themes of masculinity, friendship, and letting go in a journey back to 1959, when the biggest problems were homework, bullies, and peculiar disappearances. Adapted from Stephen King’s novella The Body, this Rob Reiner-directed heartwarming story transcends time and generations. Notable for its superb cast, including River Phoenix, Corey Feldman, and Wil Wheaton, and legendary soundtrack, including Ben E. King’s song that informed the film’s title, the Teen Council chose to screen Stand by Me because it embodies the essence of what it is to be a teenager discovering the realities of the grown-up world.   

Programmed by the Academy Museum’s Teen Council.   
Note edited by K.J. Relth-Miller from contributions by Teen Council members Peyton Arthur, Chloe Loquet, Alexander McDaniel, and Francesca Varese-Riggen.   
 
DIRECTED BY: Rob Reiner. WRITTEN BY: Raynold Gideon, Bruce A. Evans. WITH: Wil Wheaton, River Phoenix, Corey Feldman, Jerry O’Connell. 1986. 89 min. USA. Color. English. Rated R. 35mm. New print courtesy of the Academy Film Archive.

Academy Museum film programming generously funded by the Richard Roth Foundation. 


Theater accessibility accommodations available upon request. Learn more about our accessibility initiatives.

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