2008 Film Expo
London, England
March 3-5, 2008
Hosted by the Science Museum of London and the BFI IMAX Theatre
2007 International Conference and Trade Show
Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Connecting Giant Screens to Giant Ideas
September 23–25, 2007
Hosted by Science World and the IMAX Theatre at Canada Place
A PDF of the Vancouver conference program is available here.
2007 GSCA Film Expo
Los Angeles, California, US
April 24–25, 2007
At GSCA's 2007 Film Expo 251 delegates attended 10 new film screenings and 9 films in production presentations at The Bridge: Cinema de Lux IMAX Theatre. New films included African Adventure 3D: Safari in the Okavango, produced by nWave Pictures, distributed by nWave Pictures Distribution and National Geographic; The Alps, produced by MacGillivray Films, distributed by MacGillivray Freeman Films Distribution; Dinosaurs Alive!, produced by David Clark, Inc., Giant Screen Films, Maryland Science Center, Stardust Blue, LLC, distributed by Giant Screen Films; Dinosaurs: Giants of Patagonia, produced by Sky High Dinosaurs Inc., distributed by Sky High Entertainment; Fly Me to the Moon, produced by nWave Pictures, distributed by nWave Pictures Distribution; Hurricane on the Bayou, produced by MacGillivray Films, distributed by MacGillivray Freeman Films Distribution; Lions 3D: Roar of the Kalahari, produced by National Geographic and Tim Liversedge, distributed by National Geographic; Mummies: Secrets of the Pharaohs, produced by Giant Screen Films and Gravity Pictures, distributed by Giant Screen Films; Pikachu's Ocean Adventure, produced by Shogakukan Production Co., Ltd., distributed by Sarai Inc., and Wild Ride, produced by Trinity Films, distributed by Giant Screen Films (re-edited version of Ride Around the World).
The films in production screened were Arabia 3D (wt), produced by MacGillivray Freeman Films; Deep Sea-quel, produced by IMAX Corporation; Dolphins and Whales 3D (wt), produced by 3D Entertainment Ltd.; Grand Canyon Adventure 3D (wt), produced by MacGillivray Freeman Films; Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix: The IMAX Experience, produced by Warner Bros. Pictures; Ocean Frenzy (wt), produced by Giant Screen Films and Yes/No Productions; Proud American (wt), produced by LightSource LLC; Sea Monsters: A Prehistoric Adventure, produced by National Geographic; and Wonders of the Great Lakes (wt), produced by Sudbury Science Films.
2006 GSCA International Conference and Tradeshow
Galveston, Texas, US
Big Business, Big Future: Part 2
September 18–20, 2006
More than 400 attendees from at least 21 countries attended the 2006 GSCA International Conference and Tradeshow in Galveston, Texas. Hosted by Moody Gardens, the conference featured eight new films, 19 films in production, and 33 films in development. Professional development sessions included a giant screen theater basics workshop, Internet Marketing, the Behind the Curtain Technical Session, and two networking sessions. GSCA extended a special invitation to museum educators, offering two education-focused sessions: Giant Screen 101: From Script to Screen—Designing Educational Films and Revitalize and Revolutionize Your Educational Programming. Educators also participated in a workshop to help plan a one-day education symposium at a future conference. Dr. John Falk, author of Thriving in the Knowledge Age: New Business Models for Museums and Other Cultural Institutions, was the featured guest speaker. Materials from the professional development sessions can be found in the Member Center: Conference Materials. Click the links below for other conference materials.
» List of Award Winners
» Big News conference newsletters (PDF)
2006 GSCA March Conference
Los Angeles, California, US
Big Business, Big Future
March 29–31, 2006
This marked the inaugural conference of the newly formed Giant Screen Cinema Association. Please click here for a PDF of the conference wrap-up report that Judith Rubin wrote for the Big Frame.
2005 GSTA International Conference and Tradeshow
Boston, Massachusetts, US
September 19–23, 2005
The last conference held under the banner of the GSTA set the stage for a new, unified association committed to openness, collaboration, and impartiality within the industry. Click here for a PDF of the conference wrap-up report and photos that appeared in The Big Frame.
2005 LFCA Conference and Film Festival
Los Angeles, California, US
The Business of Large Format: Strategize and Thrive
April 26–29, 2005
Click here for PDFs of the conference schedule and a list of the sessions.
2004 GSTA International Conference and Tradeshow
Montreal, Quebec, Canada
September 9–13, 2004
Hosted by the Montréal Science Centre and supported by Famous Players, the Giant Screen Theater Association's 2004 conference featured film screenings, professional development sessions, technical presentations, a tradeshow, and the annual Achievement Awards. Two of the professional development sessions were a result of a consumer research work team recommendation to use the results of the GSTA 2003 Worldwide Viewer and Nonviewer Research to further benefit the industry. Click here for a PDF of the conference wrap-up report and photos that appeared in the Big Frame.
2004 LFCA Conference and Film Festival
Los Angeles, California, US
The Business of Large Format
April 28–30, 2004
Digital Symposium held May 1
The 2004 Large Format Cinema Association Conference and Film Festival explored the present state of affairs in the industry with an eye towards sharing strategies for success and ways to look at business with fresh eyes. New technologies, as well as available production and post-production tools and techniques were reviewed, and the latest films were screened. Famed Hollywood producer Frank Marshall delivered the keynote address. A comprehensive one-day digital symposium held the day after the conference covered the latest digital developments, presented at the Digital Cinema Lab (DCL) in Hollywood. Highlights of the digital symposium were sessions on the Digital Cinema Initiative (DCI) digital conversion tests, cameras and data storage systems, digital intermediates, digital projection, and a roundtable discussion focusing on the new digital paradigm and emerging business models.
2003 GSTA International Conference and Trade Show
Glasgow, Scotland, UK
September 19–23, 2003
The 2003 GSTA International Conference and Tradeshow, held in Glasgow, Scotland, on September 19–23, was hosted by the Glasgow Science Centre and supported by Loch Lomond Shores. Highlights of this year’s conference included having an 8-perf/70mm theater as supporting host, as well as the release and review of the results from the highly anticipated GSTA Viewer and Nonviewer Research Study. This year also marked the second in an ongoing forum on the state of the giant screen industry, where key stakeholders and industry experts discussed the evolving dynamic in the giant screen theater business. Click here for a PDF of the conference photos and wrap-up report that appeared in The Big Frame.
2003 LFCA Conference and Film Festival
Los Angeles, California, US
Size Matters
May 14–16, 2003
With the advent of DMR (digital re-mastering) and projection of 35mm studio films on giant screens, the industry and the public are faced with the changing perceptions of our industry and the product we produce. The conference explored our potential to increase profitability in all aspects of giant screen production, distribution, and exhibition through our ability to increase the public's desire to embrace our medium. Is the medium, in fact, the message? Academy Award-winning producer/director James Cameron, who had recently released the giant screen film Ghosts of the Abyss, was the conference keynote speaker. Click here for a PDF of summaries of the conference sessions.
2002 GSTA International Conference & Trade Show
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
September 30–October 4, 2002
The Giant Screen Theater Association held its 25th Anniversary conference in Toronto, the birthplace of the giant screen industry. Delegates were able to screen films on all three of the large format screen types: dome (Ontario Science Centre), flat (Ontario Place), and 3D (Famous Players Paramount Theatre). A record number of films were screened, 20 in all. Film buyers were recognized with special tags and for the first time provided input during the Films in Progress session with a wireless survey system. The 25th anniversary was celebrated at the first permanent giant screen theater ever built, Ontario Place, with an evening of historical films and recognition of special honorees. Click here for a PDF of the conference wrap-up report that appeared in The Big Frame.
2002 LFCA Conference and Film Festival
Los Angeles, California, US
May 15–17, 2002
2001 GSTA International Conference & Trade Show
Chicago, Illinois, US
September 20–25, 2001
With the reality of the events of September 11 still sinking in, nearly 700 giant screen industry professionals from around the world converged in Chicago for the annual Giant Screen Theater Association conference. Click here for a PDF of the conference wrap-up report that appeared in The Big Frame.
2001 LFCA Conference and Film Festival
Los Angeles, California, US
May 16–18, 2001
Over 430 attendees participated in LFCA's annual conference and film festival this year. Highlights of the three-day meeting were the Kodak Vision Award presented to Reed Smoot, a keynote address given by Producer Don Hahn of Walt Disney Studios, a three-part digital symposium, panel discussions on issues facing the giant screen industry, and the screenings and world premieres of over 20 giant screen films. Click here for a PDF of the press release that summarized the conference.
2000 GSTA International Conference & Trade Show
Frankfurt, Germany
September 14–19, 2000
The Frankfurt conference marked the first event planned by GSTA staff at the new international headquarters in St. Paul, Minnesota. The Frankfurt IMAX Theatre was host to the conference.
2000 LFCA Conference and Film Festival
Los Angeles, California, US
May 17–20, 2000
1999 GSTA International Conference & Trade Show
New York, New York/Jersey City, New Jersey, US
September 11–15, 1999
In 1999, ISTC, the International Space Theater Consortium, changed its name to the Giant Screen Theater Association, GSTA. Liberty Science Center in Jersey City and the Sony IMAX Theatre in New York City were co-hosts for the 1999 conference, with the American Museum of Natural History, located down the street from the Sony IMAX Theatre in New York City, acting as a third screening venue for new films.
1999 LFCA Conference
Los Angeles, California, US
May 19–20, 1999
1998 ISTC International Conference
Sydney, Australia
September 10–14, 1998
1998 marked the first year an ISTC/GSTA conference was held in the land down under, and Sydney's Darling Harbour provided a scenic location for the event. The conference was hosted by Cinema Plus Limited, with film screenings and various other events taking place at the Cinema Plus Panasonic IMAX Theater, located at the end of Darling Harbour.
1998 LFCA Conference
Los Angeles, California, US
May 13–15, 1998
1997 ISTC Conference
Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
September 19–22, 1997
1997 LFCA Conference
Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
September 18, 1997
1996 ISTC Conference
Barcelona, Spain
1996 LFCA Conference
Barcelona, Spain
(LFCA, Large Format Cinema Association, formed in 1996)
Other ISTC/STC Conferences
1995 Galveston, Texas, US
1994 Poitiers, France
1993 Charlotte, North Carolina, US (Space Theater Consortium renamed the International
Space Theater Consortium)
1992 Singapore
1991 Hull, Quebec, Canada
1990 The Hague, The Netherlands
1989 New York, New York, US
1988 Chicago, Illinois, US
1987 Paris, France
1986 Seattle/Vancouver
1985 Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
1984 Huntsville, Alabama, US
1983 Washington, D.C., US
1982 Hutchinson, Kansas, US
1981 Seattle, Washington, US
1980 Monterrey, San Pedro Garza Garcia, Mexico
1979 No meeting held
1978 St. Paul, Minnesota, US
1977 Space Theater Consortium (STC) is incorporated