Skiathos Open-Air
Summer Cinema
A little bit of history
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ΘΕΡΙΝΟ ΣΙΝΕΜΑ – SUMMER CINEMA
Warm, lazy evenings under the night sky.
Mopeds & street noises in the distance.
Cool drinks on shared tables.
In the early 1900's, during the summer months, silent movies were projected onto cloth screens in squares around Greece’s capital …. & viewing was free.
By the 1960's, over 500 Open-Air Cinemas were in the Attica region alone.
Comedies and tragedies of the buzzing & iconic Greek movie industry were screened
& the actors of this era became national treasures. (Entrance was no longer free!)
Roof-tops, spaces between apartment buildings, municipal squares all turned into cinemas during the summer months.
2 screenings per evening after dark meant the ‘late show’ often went into the small hours.
The limited copies of a movie were shared between cinemas & shuttled by waiting mo-peds during the reel-changes. Intervals were lengthy!
Skiathos’ ATTIKON Therino/Summer Cinema was purpose built in 1964 behind one of the island’s olive factories.
Locals have wonderful, nostalgic stories of their youth at the cinema in their pre-TV days.
Lots of shouting at the projectionist to hurry up with reel changes, performing school plays on the stage & plenty remember working here at some time!
In the early 1980's a roof was added for winter screenings. A heavy snowfall brought the roof down a few years later - and that's how you see our cinema today!
Fast forward to the 21st Century…..
Video cassettes (remember them!), DVD’s & internet streaming all changed how we watched movies, but the biggest change for movie making & projection happened around 15 years ago. Digital Movie Projection was introduced.
After over 100 years of celluloid, film reels were no more.
The beautiful film projectors, reel winders & splicers we started with are now retired.
Today, a Digital Barco Projector fills our screen. Movies are delivered to us on hard drive & our projectionist is (fortunately) a tech wizard!
These changes in movie viewing & ultimately projection have, understandably, affected cinema attendance worldwide ….
… and so, we thank you VERY MUCH for your support
at our 60 year old Summer Cinema!
