Founded in 2000 by Rebecca Scott and Damian Harris, the first festival played only in Canberra (at the Centre Cinema) and was well attended, with some sold-out performances. Scott had attended the 2000 conference Images et Sciences in Paris and hoped to bring the same inspiring real science meets pop culture ethos to an Australian audience.

The 2000 program for SCINEMA featured 35mm, 16mm, video and live presentations. Chief among these was a show by Deane Hutton and Rob Morrison, original presenters of the 1972-1990 Australian children’s science education program THE CURIOSITY SHOW.

For 15 years, SCINEMA was a labour of love for Cris Kennedy and Damian Harris. Early 2001 - 2003 screenings were held at University of Canberra and the National Museum of Australia, and grew through the Oughts and Teens to a few dozen locations around Australia. Programs were initially provided on VHS tapes, and then shiny DVDs, with an empahsis on locally-made Aussie science documentary.

The Festival was run by the Royal Institution of Australia from 2016, jumping from a small-scale festival to averaging 1,300 submissions from over 80 countries. The festival usually hosts a community screening program as part of National Science Week, where community groups and schools can register to run their own screening program. In 2016 over 240 events were held around Australia, with a screening even held on the Davis Station in Antarctica. In 2017, over 37,000 people participated in the festival which was screened at 317 events around Australia.

While COVID in 2020 saw the use of streaming technologies replacing cinema screenings, but a growing audience with 100,000 viewers registering.

Since 2025, SCINEMA is being run by Cris Kennedy, Damian Harris and STEM Matters, with support from CSIRO, The Royal Australian Mint, Questacon & National Science Week. We’re delighted to be in the SCINEMA driving seat.