Roy Disney: Large Format Cinema Revives Grand Movie Tradition

As Keynote Speaker For Annual Meeting of LFCA, Executive Producer of ""Fantasia 2000"" Is Enthusiastic About The Future Of Large Format Cinema

24-Aug-00

Business loomed large at the recent annual Conference and Film Festival of the Large Format Cinema Association (LFCA) in Los Angeles, May 17-20, attended by 375 members of the large format cinema industry and press. The conspicuous success of Disney's ""Fantasia 2000"" was never far off from discussions that centered on reshaping economic models, improving return on investment, marketing effectively, and serving new audiences as large format cinema continues to emerge as a mainstream medium, while remaining strong in its original nonprofit market. ""We're all in the same business,"" said Roy Disney, Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors of The Walt Disney Company, addressing a full house at the keynote luncheon in the California Science Center on May 18. It was a little more than two weeks after ""Fantasia 2000,"" which Disney executive-produced, finished its initial four-month exclusive run in 75 IMAXÆ theatres, grossing $64 million. Disney sees giant screen commercial endeavors as helping revive a grand, out-of-home moviegoing tradition, and strengthening ties between large format and mainstream cinema. ""Until ëFantasia 2000í, it seemed there was a mutually recognized wall between our studios and your theatres,"" said Disney. ""I like to think that ëFantasia 2000í has effectively breached that unfortunate wall... and that we will see it completely crumble in the years ahead.""The complete text of Roy Disney's keynote address at LFCA 2000 is available on the LFCA Web site, www.LFCA.org.Theatre operators accounted for about 20 percent of delegates representing either institutional or commercial large format exhibitors at LFCA 2000, which was chaired by Paul Giguere, Vice President, Europe, Africa and the Middle East, MEGAsystems. The annual event included a Film Festival of 18 large format films, most of them new releases, and the LFCA Kodak Vision Award for excellence in large format cinematography, presented to Sean MacLeod Phillips. Special symposia on motion simulation and digital production bookended the conference. Next year's conference dates have been set for May 16-20, 2001 in Los Angeles, California.LFCA 2000 sponsors included Boston Light & Sound, CFI, Christie Inc., DTSÆ, Eastman Kodak, IMAGICA USA INC., Kinoton, MEGAsystems, MacGillivray Freeman Films, McKinney Technical Services, RPG Productions, Destination Cinema, DolbyÆ Laboratories, Giant Screen Sports, Giant Screen Theater Association, Harkness Hall, Houston Museum of Natural Science, IMAGICA Corp., Motion International, Productions Pascal Blais, Principal Large Format, SimEx, Sony Pictures Classics, Iwerks Entertainment, Loews Cineplex Entertainment, nWave Pictures, Showscan Entertainment, SlingShot Entertainment, Thorburn Associates, Cinema Concepts, Compaq, Crest National, L-Squared Entertainment, Nova Large Format Films, Primesco Communications, Silicon Grail, SK Films and Sky High Entertainment.About The Large Format Cinema Association Founded in September 1996, the Large Format Cinema Association (LFCA) is a not-for-profit international association open to all those interested in the worldwide large format industry, including filmmakers, suppliers, manufacturers, distributors, theatres and their support industry, as well as film students, film studios and theme parks. Current membership is approximately 330. Charter President is Christopher Reyna, President of IMAGICA USA INC.The mission of LFCA is to promote global public awareness of large-screen entertainment formats, to provide a forum for sharing information and to foster the growth of the industry. For more information, contact LFCA at 209 477 2726 or consult the Web site at www.LFCA.org.

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