Australian International Movie Convention (AIMC)

The 79th Australian International Movie Convention ran from Monday 26 to Thursday 29 October 2026 at The Star Gold Coast. It was organised by Cinema Association Australasia, with Vista Group again as naming partner, under the theme "Connected by Cinema. Shaping the Future."

Monday was given to the Screen Australia Filmmaker Masterclass, run with Screen Queensland and the Gold Coast Film Commission. It included a panel where exhibitors explained how they decide to book an Australian film and allocate screens. The evening screening was Danny Boyle's Ink, courtesy of STUDIOCANAL.

Tuesday opened the main programme in the HOYTS Theatre with presentations from Sony Pictures Releasing, VVS Films, The Walt Disney Studios and Amazon MGM Studios, which used the week for its Australian and New Zealand launch and hosted the opening-night party. Wednesday had Paramount Pictures, Madman Entertainment, Kismet Movies, Umbrella, STUDIOCANAL, Maslow Entertainment, Rialto Distribution and Roadshow Films. Thursday had Transmission Films, Icon Films, the Australian Independent Distributors Association, Universal Pictures and Warner Bros. Pictures, and closed with a Disney party.

Two morning panels were aimed squarely at operators: one on how digital marketing drives attendance, hosted by Gruvi with marketing leads from Sony, Roadshow, Reading Cinemas and Palace Cinemas, and "Putting the AI in AIMC", where Vista Group's Matthew Liebmann asked exhibition leaders which AI tools they use today. Suppliers including Christie, IMAX, RealD, Dolby, Barco, Fandango and Rentrak also presented.

Thursday afternoon carried the industry awards: the Natalie Miller Fellowship, the Emerging Leaders Awards and the Murray Forrest Lifetime Achievement Award. The 2026 Natalie Miller Fellowship went jointly to Kathryn Craig, Head of Programming and National Operations at Dendy Cinemas, and Rachel Watt of Watt Social, with A$10,000 each. Craig will study how cinemas can build lasting relationships with younger moviegoers. The organiser had not published the other winners or an attendance figure when we checked.

Sources: the organiser's AIMC 2026 programme and convention page; TV Central on the Natalie Miller Fellowship.

As of 30 October 2026, Cinema Association Australasia had not published dates or a venue for AIMC 2027, the 80th convention. The organiser's own site still lists the 2026 edition. A charity auction at this year's convention offered a delegate pass to the 80th AIMC with two nights at The Star Gold Coast, which suggests the same host, but that is not an announcement.

The last two editions ran in late October at The Star Gold Coast: 27–30 October 2025 and 26–29 October 2026. We will update this page when the association confirms the 2027 dates.

Source: FilmInk, MPIBS silent auction notice.

The 78th AIMC ran from 27 to 30 October 2025 at The Star Gold Coast. It opened with the Screen Australia Filmmaker Masterclass, and Disney, Sony, Paramount, Warner Bros. and Universal presented their 2026 slates alongside Roadshow Films, STUDIOCANAL, Rialto Distribution, Kismet Movies and the Australian Independent Distributor Association. UNIC's chief executive, Laura Houlgatte, spoke about the European market, and the week closed with the AIMC Gala Dinner, run with the Motion Picture Distributors Association of Australia.

AIMC is run by Cinema Association Australasia, the trade body for cinema operators in Australia and New Zealand. It plays the role CinemaCon plays in the US: the week when the distributors present their slates to the people who will book them. The 2026 edition was the 79th, again at The Star Gold Coast.

Every major distributor presents, along with the Motion Picture Distributors Association of Australia and the Australian Independent Distributors Association. Around the presentations sit advance screenings, keynotes and panels, a trade exhibition, networking events and the industry awards.

Delegate registration covered all conference sessions, distributor presentations, screenings, the trade exhibition, networking events and social functions. Published 2026 prices (Australian dollars, including processing fees and GST): full registration $1,300 at the early-bird rate, which ended 20 September; single-day passes from $600; the Filmmaker Masterclass $125. Discounted rooms at The Star Gold Coast were offered to delegates in limited numbers. Prices for 2027 have not been published.