Summary
- Festival Cine brings together 132 Greek film festivals.
- It offers screening schedules, venues, maps and parallel events.
- Users can create a personal screening schedule.
- The app is free, ad-free and requires no account.
- The creator is considering an Android version and accessibility information.
Festival Cine brings together Greek film festivals, screening schedules, venues and parallel events in one application.
The app was created by Giannis Papanastasopoulos and is available on the App Store free of charge, without advertising or a mandatory user account. It currently includes 132 festivals from different parts of Greece, from Drama to Kastellorizo.
Its importance lies in the fact that it collects information that is usually scattered across websites, PDF files, Facebook posts and Instagram publications. Since many festivals announce their programmes only a few days before they begin, timely information can determine whether a viewer discovers and attends a screening.
What Festival Cine offers
Festival Cine presents film festivals together with their dates and locations.
For each event, it may include the full screening programme by day and venue, information about masterclasses and parallel activities, maps of screening locations, access directions and details about awards from the current or previous edition.
The app also offers a guide to screenings taking place near the user, making it easier to discover smaller festivals and events that may not receive extensive publicity.
Personal schedule and notifications
Festival Cine’s most important feature is the ability to create a personal schedule.
Users can save the screenings they are interested in and organise their own programme. The app sends a notification two hours before each saved screening, turning the available information into a practical planning tool.
According to its creator, this is the most valuable feature because it does not simply present information but helps viewers actually reach the screening room.
How the data is updated
Information is currently collected manually, with the assistance of artificial intelligence tools during the search process.
There is no shared API or standard format used by festivals to publish their programmes. A festival may release a well-organised PDF one year and publish its programme as an Instagram image the next.
The app gradually records the approximate dates of each festival and searches for new announcements weekly as those dates approach. The creator reviews the information before it is added.
Data is downloaded separately from the application itself. This means a programme announced in the morning can appear on users’ phones by lunchtime, without requiring a new App Store version or approval from Apple.
Free, ad-free and without an account
Festival Cine is available for free and does not include advertising.
This choice was made to keep the service accessible to the audiences of smaller festivals, which could not support a subscription model. According to the creator, charging users would probably limit the app to major festivals and undermine its original purpose.
At this stage, a user account is not required, while iCloud is used for the relevant functions. An account system may be considered in the future, depending on user needs and any additional features.
You will find it here.
Android, accessibility and future plans
The application was initially released for Apple devices, while an Android version is under consideration. How quickly it moves forward will depend on user demand.
Another future objective is to add accessibility information for every screening room or venue, allowing people with disabilities to know in advance which facilities are available.
The immediate priority, however, remains broader coverage and the rapid addition of every new programme. The creator believes timely information is more valuable than adding new screens or secondary features.
The interview with the creator of Festival Cine
How did the idea for Festival Cine come about? What was the biggest problem you wanted to solve?
The truth is that film festivals in Greece have been doing very well in recent years. But it is not only that there are many of them.
Several are also not particularly well known or take place on islands.
The first reason was personal: I was missing screenings I would have liked to see because I never found out they were happening. The second and most important problem, with such a large volume, is that every festival announces its programme somewhere different: in a Facebook post, an Instagram post or a PDF on its website. Festivals here usually release their programme about ten days before they begin, and some a little earlier. So, unless you already know about it and happen to check during that exact week, you miss it.
How long did it take from the initial idea to the launch?
I do not remember exactly because I started it as a pilot project. Once I realised that it could genuinely become a useful tool, I began taking it more seriously.
How do you collect and verify information about the festivals?
For now, manually, with the help of AI in the search process. There is no API and not even a common format among festivals.
The same festival may release a proper PDF one year and an image of a poster on Instagram the next.
The goal for the future, if it becomes a standard tool in Greece, is to work directly with the festivals and have them send me their programmes themselves in an organised way.
How often is the database updated?
Whenever necessary. The app gradually learns the approximate dates when each festival takes place and, depending on how close it is, searches once a week to see whether anything new has been released. Everything is also reviewed by me before it is added. It is still at an early stage and I am trying to make it as accurate as possible.
The data is not locked inside the app. It is downloaded separately. A programme announced in the morning can be on everyone’s phones by lunchtime, without an App Store update and without waiting for Apple’s approval.
This is not a technical detail. It is the entire point. For a festival that announces its programme ten days in advance, an app that needs three days to update is useless.
What are the main features and which do you consider the most important?
It includes all festivals with dates and locations, the full screening schedule by day and venue, masterclasses and parallel activities, a map with venues and access directions, a guide showing what is playing nearby, and even awards, either from the current or previous year depending on the festival.
The most important feature, however, is none of those. It is the personal schedule. You save the screenings you want, your own schedule is created, and it notifies you two hours before each one. Everything else is information. This is the only feature that actually gets you into the screening room.
Why did you choose to make the app free, without accounts and without advertising?
Because it began as my own problem and I wanted to share it with people who are interested in cinema.
Accounts: at this stage, there is no account system, only iCloud, so that it can be as secure as possible. It may be necessary in the future, depending on what people request or what features are added.
Advertising: anyone who has opened a festival programme on a website filled with banners knows why. You want to check a screening time and you end up fighting with a window.
Free: a small festival on an island does not have an audience willing to pay a subscription. If I introduced a price, I would only keep the large festivals, and then the app would lose its purpose. I have no intention of making it paid, unless at some point a feature is introduced that each person can decide whether they want. We are certainly not at that point yet.
What response have you received so far?
The response has already been very positive. I have shown it to friends and acquaintances who I know will use it, as well as people from the cinema industry. However, it is still very early. It was released only a few days ago and I am still trying to help people discover it. I believe that from September, when the new festival season officially begins, the response will be even stronger.
What are your next plans? Is there a plan for Android?
Several people have asked about Android, and that is fair. I am looking into it. If I see strong demand, I will move forward with it sooner.
I would also like, in cooperation with the festivals, to include accessibility information for every venue or space where a screening takes place for people with disabilities. I consider this very important and I would greatly appreciate the help of organisers with it.
More immediately, however, my priority is not new features but coverage. There are festivals beginning in a few days that still have not released a programme. Adding every programme as soon as it is announced is worth more than any new screen.
What was the biggest challenge during development?
The data, without a second thought. Writing the app is a task with a beginning and an end. Keeping 132 festivals updated, when each one announces whatever it wants, whenever it wants and however it wants, never ends.
What would you like to say to filmmakers, organisers and film lovers?
To organisers: send me the programme in whatever format you have, ideally PDF or Excel. Even as a photograph. It will be added the same day and costs nothing. And one request: include a date and time in everything you publish. It sounds obvious, but it is not.
To filmmakers: your film often plays once, in one venue, in one city. It deserves to be discovered by people beyond those who were already there.
To film lovers: do not limit yourselves to the two or three major names. Open the map and see what is happening on the island where you are spending your holidays in August.
It is almost always free, takes place in a square and may become a very beautiful and unforgettable experience. We are very fortunate to live in a country with so many free and open-air screenings, and we should not take that for granted.
What we think
Festival Cine addresses a genuine need in the Greek film community by bringing together information that was previously scattered across different platforms. Its fast updates and personal schedule make it particularly practical, while cooperation with organisers could further improve its accuracy and coverage.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many festivals are included in Festival Cine?
The application currently includes 132 Greek film festivals.
What information does it offer?
It includes dates, locations, screening schedules, venues, masterclasses, parallel activities, maps, access directions and awards.
Is it free?
Yes, Festival Cine is free, without advertising and without a mandatory user account.
Is there an Android version?
An Android version is under consideration and may move forward sooner if there is strong demand.
How are the programmes updated?
Information is collected manually, reviewed before publication and can be updated without requiring a new version of the application on the App Store.
