The Academy Film Archive collection is made up of hundreds of smaller collections, ranging from films made and collected by filmmakers to films that share a common subject, production company or purpose. The Academy's current holdings consist of close to 60,000 different titles and a broad range of media types, including more than 30,000 videotapes, DVDs and digital media; 7,000 audio tapes; and more than 107,000 reels of film, 11,000 of which are original nitrate elements.

In support of the Academy’s mandate "to advance the arts and sciences of motion pictures," the Academy Film Archive strives for diversity and depth in its film collection. Films nominated for Academy Awards® are included in the collection, along with the annual Academy Award® shows, documentaries, silent movies, experimental films, film-industry related interviews and behind-the-scenes footage, motion picture technology and equipment tests, home movies and a wide range of international cinema.

The collections held by the Academy Film Archive vary in size and scope from production material centered around a single film to the entire collected output of a filmmaker. The collections, which are stored on site in the Pickford Center's temperature- and humidity-controlled vaults to ensure their longevity, often serve as the basis for ongoing preservation projects. In some cases, materials are made available to researchers by appointment at the Academy's Public Access Center, and, in other cases, they are loaned to qualified institutions for screenings.

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