GSCA Event History
2024 Film Expo
GSCA held its 2024 Film Expo in Los Angeles on March 11-12 and the Filmmaker Symposium on March 13, at the AMC CityWalk IMAX Theatre and Universal City Hilton hotel. The Film Expo featured feature screenings of new films, films in production, projects in development, an innovations session highlighting the latest giant screen technology, and the USC Film Student Showcase. The Filmmaker Symposium included all aspects of Giant Screen Filmmaking.
Thank you to the generous sponsors of the 2024 Film Expo and Filmmaker Symposium
2023 International Conference
The GSCA 2022 International Conference was hosted by the Cincinnati Museum Center in Cincinnati, OH on September 18 and by the IMAX Theater in the Indiana State History Museum September 19-21.
Thank you to the generous sponsors of the 2023 GSCA International Conference.
2023 Film Expo
GSCA held its 2023 Film Expo in Los Angeles on March 14-15, 2023, at the AMC CityWalk IMAX Theatre and Universal City Hilton hotel. The Film Expo featured feature screenings of new films, films in production, projects in development, an innovations session highlighting the latest giant screen technology, and the USC Film Student Showcase.
Thank you to our generous sponsors
2022 Conference
The GSCA 2022 International Conference was hosted by the Tennessee Aquarium IMAX Theater in Chattanooga, Tennessee, on September 28-30, with Dome Day at the McWane Science Center in Birmingham, Alabama, on October 1. In addition to the in-person event, new films and films in production that the producers and distributors had agreed to make available virtually were available to registered attendees on the Filmocracy platform October 14-28. As the first in-person GSCA International Conference since September 2019, awards were presented for films released in 2022 as well as for each year the conference was not held during the pandemic (2020 and 2021). Marketing and education awards were not presented this year, only because as theaters are coming out of the pandemic, many have not had the resources to create their typical campaigns and programs, or the time to submit their entries for awards consideration. Those awards will be back in 2023.
2022 Film Expo
The 2022 Film Expo was GSCA’s first in-person event since March 2020. New Films, Films in Production, Projects in Development, and the Innovations Session “Drones and Helicopters: Only the Best Tool Will Fly, Part 2” were presented at the AMC CityWalk IMAX Theater in Los Angeles. The Film Expo also included GSCA’s first-ever Student Film Showcase, which featured film presentations from USC students. All content was available to registered attendees on the Filmocracy virtual platform March 14-25 as well. On March 10, we traveled to the Cosm Experience Center in Salt Lake City, Utah, for a demonstration of Evans & Sutherland’s LED Dome technology.
Click here for a Word document with all the film descriptions
2021 Virtual Conference
Films were available on demand September 13-October 1. Sessions were presented on September 20, 22, and 24. Click here for a Word document with details about all the new films, films in production, and projects in development presented at the Virtual Conference.
2021 Virtual Film Expo
Film screenings were available on demand from April 12-30. Sessions were presented April 19, 21, and 23. Click here for a Word document with details about all the new films, films in production, and projects in development presented at the Virtual Film Exp
2020 Virtual Conference
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, GSCA hosted its annual September event virtually, with film screenings and sessions taking place online.
- Word document with descriptions of all the new films, films in production, and projects in development that were available on demand, as well as screened during the event schedule, so attendees could ask producers and distributors questions via chat.
2020 Film Expo
Los Angeles, California
March 9-10
Hosted by AMC CityWalk IMAX Theatre and Universal City Hilton
2019 Conference
September 10-12
Hosted by IMAX Victoria in Victoria, BC, Canada
Dome Day September 13, hosted by Science World British Columbia in Vancouver
Event Photos
2019 Film Expo & Filmmaker Symposium
Los Angeles, California
March 11-13
Hosted by the AMC CityWalk IMAX Theatre
Event photos
2018 Conference
Chattanooga, Tennessee
September 21-23
Hosted by Tennessee Aquarium
Dome Day September 24, Hosted by McWane Science Center in Birmingham, Alabama
Event photos
2018 Film Expo
Seattle, Washington, US
March 12-13, 2018
Hosted by Pacific Science Center
2017 Conference
Chicago, Illinois, US
September 26-29, 2017
Hosted by AMC Navy Pier IMAX Theatre and the Museum of Science & Industry
- Event program PDF
- Event program online flipbook
- Photos
- Marketing Symposium: On September 29, 2017, GSCA and Museum Playbook hosted the first-ever GSCA Marketing Symposium, “Hidden in Plain Sight: Finding Solutions to Modern Marketing Challenges,” an engaging day exploring consumer trends, new ideas and helpful tools focused on increasing theater attendance and revenue.
2016 Conference
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
October 4-7, 2016
Hosted by the Cineplex Scotiabank IMAX Theatre and the Ontario Science Centre
- Event program PDF
- Event program online flipbook
- Photos
- Summary of the Digital Dome Demo featuring Side-by-Side 15/70 vs. True8K Digital.
Evans & Sutherland installed a True8K system using 10 Christie Mirage 304K projectors that, before this demo, had never been demonstrated in a giant screen dome, anywhere in the world.
2016 Film Expo and Filmmaker Symposium
Los Angeles, California
March 7-10, 2016
Hosted by Universal CityWalk IMAX Theater and Hilton Universal City
2015 Conference
San Francisco, California
September 9-12
Conference hosted by the AMC Metreon IMAX Theater
Dome Day hosted by the Tech Museum of Innovation in San Jose
2014 Conference
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
September 20-23
Hosted by Ontario Science Centre and Cineplex Scotiabank
Event Program
2014 Film Expo
Austin, Texas
March 24-25
Hosted by The Bullock Museum
Event Photos
2013 Conference
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
September 14-17
Hosted by Canadian Museum of Civilization
2013 Film Expo and Digital Symposium
Galveston, Texas
March 18-21
Hosted by Moody Gardens
2012 Conference
Sacramento, California
September 18-20
Hosted by Esquire IMAX Theatre
Dome Day September 21
Hosted by The Tech Museum, San Jose, California
2012 European Film Expo
Poitiers, France
March 20-21
Hosted by Parc du Futuroscope
Dome Day March 22
Hosted by La Géode, Paris
2011 Conference
Host: Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum
2011 Film Expo
March 8-9, 2011
2010 Conference
2010 Film Expo
2009 Conference
2009 Film Expo
Los Angeles, California
March 17–18, 2009
Host: IMAX Theatre at the Bridge
Hotel: Marina del Rey Marriott
2008 Conference and and Lifelong Learning Symposium
Jersey City, New Jersey and New York, New York
September 9–12, 2008
September 8: The Greater Potential of Giant Screen Experiences: Connecting Society and Science
Host: Liberty Science Center, Jersey CityCo-host: AMC Lincoln Square IMAX Theatre, New York
2008 Film Expo
London, England
March 3-5, 2008
Hosted by the Science Museum of London and the BFI IMAX Theatre
2007 Conference
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
2007 Film Expo
Los Angeles, California, US
April 24–25, 2007
2006 Conference
Galveston, Texas, US
Big Business, Big Future: Part 2
September 18–20, 2006
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
2005 GSTA Conference
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.
2005 LFCA Conference and Film Festival
Los Angeles, California, US
The Business of Large Format: Strategize and Thrive
April 26–29, 2005
2004 GSTA Conference
Montreal, Quebec, Canada
September 9–13, 2004
2004 LFCA Conference and Film Festival
Los Angeles, California, US
The Business of Large Format
April 28–30, 2004
Digital Symposium held May 1
2003 GSTA Conference
Glasgow, Scotland, UK
September 19–23, 2003
2003 LFCA Conference and Film Festival
Los Angeles, California, US
Size Matters
May 14–16, 2003
2002 GSTA Conference
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
September 30–October 4, 2002
2002 LFCA Conference and Film Festival
Los Angeles, California, US
May 15–17, 2002
2001 GSTA Conference
Chicago, Illinois, US
September 20–25, 2001
2001 LFCA Conference and Film Festival
Los Angeles, California, US
May 16–18, 2001
2000 GSTA Conference
Frankfurt, Germany
September 14–19, 2000
2000 LFCA Conference and Film Festival
Los Angeles, California, US
May 17–20, 2000
1999 GSTA Conference
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