GSCA International Conference and Trade Show

Giant-screen cinema — IMAX-format theatres, domes and planetarium screens, many run by museums and science centres — operates differently from commercial exhibition. Programmes are built around documentary and educational titles with long runs, and the distributors are specialists. GSCA's conference is where that community meets.

The 2026 edition in Los Angeles brought together filmmakers, distributors, exhibitors and technology partners for screenings, looks at films in production and projects in development, professional development, innovation sessions and networking.

For a giant-screen or dome venue, the previews are the core: this is where you see the upcoming slate from distributors such as MacGillivray Freeman Films and SK Films before you commit. The GSCA Achievement Awards include categories for theatres themselves — Best Film Launch by a Theater and the Big Idea Award for marketing — alongside the IMAX Hall of Fame, voted by the IMAX theater network.

For a mainstream multiplex with a single premium large format screen, it is less relevant; CinemaCon and CineEurope cover PLF from a commercial angle. Dates and location for the next edition had not been announced as of 26 September 2026.