What Stewart Filmscreen does

Stewart Filmscreen is a privately held, family-owned manufacturer of custom projection screens and proprietary optical screen materials headquartered in Torrance, California, with a secondary production facility in Amelia, Ohio. The firm was founded in 1947 and has operated for over 70 years, establishing itself as a reference-standard supplier for film post-production, aerospace simulation, government, and high-end residential home theater applications. Its product portfolio is organized into fixed frame, retractable, rigid, and specialty optical-coating screens, with 25+ proprietary screen material formulations supporting front projection, rear projection, and acrylic substrates. Capabilities such as seamless fabrication up to 40 by 90 feet, patented roller tube technology invented by founder Pat Stewart, MicroPerf X² THX Ultra acoustic perforation, GREENGUARD Gold certification, and CVM digital masking systems differentiate the offering from commodity screen vendors.

The business generates revenue through one-time sales of custom-manufactured screens and screen materials, distributed via a global authorized dealer network, factory-direct sales, and website-based quote requests; pricing is opaque and quote-based. Sub-brand Cima by Stewart Filmscreen, introduced in 2015, addresses a more accessible price tier with preconfigured sizes, while the 2024 QuickSHIP program targets faster standard turnaround. Integration partnerships with Crestron and Control4 embed Stewart masking systems within installed home and commercial automation stacks. Notable customers include Disney, Pixar, Lucasfilm, Warner Bros, Sony Pictures, Netflix, HBO, NASA, Boeing, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, the Pentagon, the White House, MIT, Harvard, UCLA, Smithsonian, and Wynn Las Vegas. The company is the only screen manufacturer to have won two Academy Awards for technical merit, and holds ISO 9001:2015, THX Ultra, ISF, and GREENGUARD Gold certifications.

Name

Stewart Filmscreen

Legal name

Stewart Filmscreen

Website

https://stewartfilmscreen.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1953

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Stewart Filmscreen is a family-owned US manufacturer of custom handcrafted projection screens and over 25 proprietary optical screen materials, serving residential, film, aerospace, government, and corporate markets through a global dealer network.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Projection Screens and Optical Screen Materials

SIC

Optical Instruments & Lenses (3827), Photographic Equipment & Supplies (3861)

akta.pro primary industry

Camera & Lens Retail (Photo Cameras, Lenses & Optical Accessories) (CRACAHAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Video Camera & Production Gear Retail (Camcorders, Cinema Cameras, Rigs) (CRACAHAB)

Keywords

• Projection screens
• Screen materials
• Custom projection systems
• Home theater screens
• Professional AV equipment

Headquarters

HQ city

Torrance

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Custom Projection Screens: Stewart Filmscreen manufactures and sells custom handcrafted projection screens in various configurations (fixed frame, retractable, curved, masking systems). All screens are made to order based on customer specifications. Screens are sold directly through dealers and sales consultants.
2. Screen Materials: Proprietary screen materials sold separately for use in Stewart screens or custom applications. Over 25 different formulations including front projection, rear projection, and acrylic materials.
3. Custom and Specialty Coatings: Optically engineered coatings applied to custom substrates for aerospace, simulation, theme park, and other specialty venues. Custom project-based revenue for challenging engineered substrates and prototypes.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Stewart Filmscreen manufactures and sells custom handcrafted projection screens, optical screen materials, and specialty optical coatings for residential, commercial, institutional, aerospace, and entertainment applications. Products are made-to-order at facilities in Torrance, California and Amelia, Ohio, using proprietary screen formulations compounded in-house from raw plastic resins and pigments, and are offered in seamless sizes up to 40 by 90 feet.

Product overview

Stewart Filmscreen is a projection screen manufacturer with over 70 years of experience, offering a comprehensive portfolio of handcrafted screens and screen materials. The product portfolio includes four main screen categories: Fixed Frame Screens (WallScreen Series, CineCurve, VistaScope, Director's Choice, Cima FF), Retractable Screens (Luxus G2/Medio/Grande, Stealth/Stealth VCS/Medio/Grande, Cascade G2/Medio/Grande, Visionary Series, Cima BC, RS1, Gemini, Daily Dual), Rigid Screens (Specialty Coatings, Custom and Immersive, Ladder Frame), and Specialty Optical Coating services. The company manufactures over 25 different screen materials ranging from unity gain reference materials (StudioTek 100, SnoMatte 100) to high gain options (Silver 3D at 3.0 gain) and ambient light rejecting materials (FireHawk G5, Phantom HALR Plus). All products are manufactured in the company's California facility, with screens available in seamless sizes up to 40 x 90 feet for fixed frame applications. Stewart has won two Academy Awards for technical merit and holds ISO 9001 certification.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Cima by Stewart Filmscreen: A more affordable product line of screens that offers quality projection solutions at a lower price point while maintaining Stewart's quality standards.

Products and services

• Fixed Frame Screens Core category of handcrafted fixed frame projection screens including the WallScreen (1.5, 2.5, Deluxe, Front Snap), CineCurve, VistaScope, Director's Choice, WallMask, and Cima FF lines. Built with 16K+ screen materials in seamless configurations and sized up to industry-leading dimensions for residential, commercial, and post-production environments.
• WallScreen Series Fixed frame snap screens available in WallScreen 1.5, WallScreen 2.5, WallScreen Deluxe, and WallScreen Front Snap configurations. Built with aircraft-grade aluminum and finished with velvet Velux overlay, supporting image widths up to 19 feet 5 inches for high-end residential and commercial installations.
• VistaScope Two-way continuously variable vertical masking fixed frame screen with native 2.40:1 aspect ratio. VistaScope EVO features 4-inch borders and fully retractable masking, scaling up to 80 x 192 inches and supporting constant image height from 2.40:1 to 1.33:1 aspect ratios for widescreen cinema viewing.
• Director's Choice Four-way continuously variable masking screen system. Director's Choice EVO features 6.5-inch borders with up to 30% bigger image area, sizes up to 96 x 192 inches (215-inch diagonal), and four individually motorized masking panels with a digital controller for cinematic aspect ratio management.
• StreamPro Precision masking system for high-performance home theaters featuring two-way horizontal masking with a 4.5-inch border and 8-inch depth. Provides automated adjustment up to 200 inches diagonally (16:9) and integrates with Crestron and Control4 home automation via the CVM controller.
• WallMask Fixed frame screen system with vertical (VM) or horizontal (HM) masking options. WallMask HM provides continuously variable aspect ratios from native projector resolution to the widest CinemaScope formats, driven by Stewart's CVM digital closed-loop control system.
• CineCurve Award-winning curved fixed frame screen system available with optional independent digitally controlled masking panels. Curved design delivers cinematic envelopment for widescreen formats; available in Cine-V (vertical masking), Cine-W (single aspect ratio), and unmasked configurations.
• Retractable Screens Core category of electric and manual retractable projection screens including Luxus (G2, Medio, Grande), Stealth (with trapdoor and VCS variants), Cascade (G2, Medio, Grande), Visionary, Cima BC, RS1, Gemini, and Daily Dual lines, featuring continuous duty motors and integrated home automation control.
• Luxus Series Below ceiling retractable screens offered in Luxus G2, Luxus Medio, and Luxus Grande variants. Images range up to 16 feet 9 inches (Medio) and 45 feet (Grande) wide, with continuous duty motors, integral low voltage control, and Intelligent Motor Control (IMC) 100 supporting IR, Serial, RF, IP, Trigger and Dry Contact inputs.
• Stealth Series Concealed above-ceiling retractable screens with trapdoor closure. Includes Stealth Grande (up to 23 ft 11 in image width) and Stealth Medio (up to 16 ft 9 in width, optional vertical or horizontal masking), featuring heavy duty continuous motors, 6-inch stressed roller tubes, and aircraft quality 6061/6063 T6 alloy construction.
• Cascade Series Above ceiling retractable screens pioneered for large-format applications, with S6, S8, and S10 sizes accommodating image widths from 16 ft 10 in to 45 ft. UL approved, with continuous duty motors and integral low voltage control.
• Visionary Series Above ceiling self-finishing retractable screen with two-piece construction. Three sizes up to 16 ft 4 in image width, with optional rough-in housing that can be split-shipped for pre-construction installation and 3-inch or 6-inch Mamba Tube roller options.
• RS1 Top-tier motorized retractable screen for indoor or outdoor use supporting image sizes up to 180 inches in 16:9 aspect ratio. Features an integrated RJ45 port for dry contact and 12-volt trigger control, lightweight 5.5 x 5.5 inch case, and add-on controls for home automation integration.
• Gemini Above ceiling dual screen system with two separate fabrics in a retractable configuration, allowing specification of different screen materials for daytime ambient light viewing (Phantom HALR, FireHawk) and nighttime reference cinema viewing (Scope format reference materials).
• Daily Dual Dual screen system combining an electric roll-down screen and a fixed frame for 2D/3D applications. Originally designed for post-production, enabling a 30-second screen change between content formats, with optional two-way or four-way masking functionality.
• Stealth VCS Video Conference Screen Concealed video conferencing screen system with ETL-approved camera deployment, trapdoor closure, and a flexible control system for independent element deployment. Engineered with robust gear and precision arms for reliable camera mounting, supporting small-format retractable installations up to 13 ft image width.
• Cima by Stewart Filmscreen Value-oriented sub-brand line of projection screens including Cima FF (fixed frame snap screens with a low profile 2.5-inch frame) and Cima BC (below ceiling retractable screens built for daily use). Available with Neve and Tiburon G4 fabrics in preconfigured standard sizes with quick turnaround.
• Cima FF Fixed frame snap screen with a low profile 2.5-inch frame. Available with Neve or Tiburon G4 fabrics, in preconfigured standard sizes and aspect ratios for fast turnaround in residential and small commercial environments.
• Cima BC Below ceiling retractable screen built for daily use. Available in preconfigured sizes in HD, Scope, or 16:10 formats with 6 or 12 inch black drop, integrated control system with 12-volt trigger functionality, and RJ45 connector.
• Specialty Optical Coating Custom optical surface coating services for application-specific substrates used in aerospace, simulation, theme parks, museums, and specialty venues. Supports curved, irregular surfaces including globes (8 to 72 inch diameter), toroidal and hemispherical shapes, rear projection material lamination, and flow coat or hand-spray application on acrylic and rigid substrates.
• Custom and Immersive Screen Solutions Highly customized immersive and themed presentation environments including Torus compound curve screens, Ladder Frame (borderless up to 30 ft high x 89 ft wide), Simulator Products, and Self-Laminating Frame Systems for aerospace and simulation applications.
• Manual Masking Panels Custom manually attached masking panels that convert screens from Scope to 16:9 aspect ratio, custom fit for a clean crisp finish with improved perceived contrast. Provides a lower-cost alternative to Stewart's motorized masking systems.
• QuickSHIP Products QuickSHIP Products program that enables faster delivery of standard Stewart projection screen configurations from preconfigured sizes and models.

Quantifiable outcome

• Screens maintain performance across multiple projector upgrade cycles, with customers commonly reporting the same Stewart screen working perfectly through multiple projector changes

Named customers37 records

Segments8 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

Feature7 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• THXcoreTechnology or IntegrationTHX certification for Stewart screen materials including StudioTek 130 G4 and MicroPerf X² THX Ultra. THX certification confirms that the products meet rigorous audio/video performance standards. Certified reference materials are used in professional post-production environments.
• ISF (Imaging Science Foundation)coreTechnology or IntegrationStewart Filmscreen is ISF certified. Products and processes meet Imaging Science Foundation standards for video calibration and display quality, important for professional calibration environments.
• SMPTE (Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers)coreTechnology or IntegrationStewart Filmscreen is a member of SMPTE and participates in A.N.S.I. Steering Committees, contributing to industry standards development for motion picture and television engineering.
• CrestroncoreTechnology or IntegrationStewart's masking systems and control interfaces are designed to integrate seamlessly with Crestron home automation systems. CVM control system and other automation interfaces are compatible with Crestron platforms.
• Control4coreTechnology or IntegrationStreamPro and other Stewart screens with CVM controller integrate with Control4 home automation systems, allowing seamless control as part of integrated smart home environments.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Screen Innovations: Screen Innovations is a direct competitor in premium residential and commercial projection screens, including ambient light rejecting (ALR) and motorized solutions. Competes directly with Stewart in the high-end home theater and custom integration channel.
• Severtson Screens: Severtson Screens is a direct competitor specializing in projection screens for commercial and home theater, including large-format and 3D-capable materials. Comparable in custom manufacturing approach with a presence in cinema, residential, and commercial segments.
• Elite Screens: Elite Screens is a direct competitor focused on value and mid-market projection screens with a broad e-commerce and distribution model. Competes with Stewart in fixed frame, motorized, and ALR screen categories, particularly through the Cima-like value tier.
• Da-Lite (Legrand AV): Da-Lite is one of Stewart's largest direct competitors in projection screens, offering a full line of fixed frame, retractable, and electric screens for commercial and residential use. Acquired by Legrand, it operates at much greater scale and competes across both premium and value segments.
• Vutec Corporation: Vutec is a direct competitor in projection screens, offering fixed frame, motorized, and specialty screens including SilverStar ALR technology. Overlaps with Stewart in residential and commercial AV installation channels.
• Draper Inc. Draper is a long-established direct competitor in projection screens, also offering window shades and gymnasium equipment. Competes with Stewart in commercial AV and projection screen installations for education, corporate, and large-venue applications.

Broad incumbents

• Barco: Barco is a broad incumbent in projection, image processing, and visualization technology, with a strong presence in cinema, simulation, and control rooms. Overlaps with Stewart in aerospace/simulation and large venue applications as a full-stack provider.
• Christie Digital: Christie is a broad incumbent in projection and visual display systems, making projectors, video walls, and AV solutions used in cinema, simulation, and large venues. While primarily a projector manufacturer, Christie competes with Stewart in complete venue solutions and occasionally offers its own screen products.
• Sony Professional Solutions: Sony is a broad incumbent in professional displays, projectors (including Crystal LED walls), and cinema production technology. As a Stewart customer (Sony Pictures), Sony also competes indirectly via direct-view LED and SXRD projection that bypasses projection screens entirely.

Others

• Snap AV (now AVA / Access Networks): SnapAV (now part of AVA) is a leading distributor and manufacturer of AV integration products including projection screens, networking, and control systems. Competes with Stewart in the custom installation channel via its Episode and Dragonfly screen brands.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/StewartFilmscrn
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/StewartFilmscreen
• Facebookfacebook.com/StewartFilmscreen
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/stewart-filmscreen
• Instagraminstagram.com/stewart.filmscreen

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Stewart Filmscreen