ATHENS OF CINEMA

DAFNI BECHTSI CINOBO CEO & FOUNDER

Athens is full of surprises – especially the city centre and the neighbourhood of Exarcheia, my usual haunts. What I find most charming is the potential to encounter all sorts of artwork on every corner, right where you least expect it:

From graffiti and street art to unexpected, picturesque cinemas presenting classic films rarely seen on the big screen. The access the city gives you to cinema is what makes me love it most, and what always impresses my friends from abroad when they visit me.

Athenians certainly love the historic cinemas in the centre – from basements with an underground audience to luxurious halls with state-of-the-art equipment – which almost all season show everything from new releases to films they did not even know existed. But the city’s trademark and stand-out feature, in my opinion, are its open-air cinemas.

The good weather and the summer that lasts almost six months help a lot! You can find open-air cinemas throughout the city, where you and your friends can kick back and relax with an ice-cold beer and a good movie under the open sky, or even at the foot of the Acropolis.

Some open-air cinemas even operate on rooftops, offering views of the city and cool, fresh air, while you can find other ones nestled in the spaces between apartment buildings. They all have a unique charm and an atmosphere I have not encountered anywhere else in the world. It is a viewing experience that only Athens offers so generously. It is a city that loves cinema not as a luxury, but as an everyday necessity. And of course, a city that can lose itself in movies is a city that can dream!

The views expressed in this article are the author’s personal opinions and do not reflect the views or opinions of the Ministry of Rural Development and Food.