There is something almost timeless about watching a film beneath the stars. It belongs to another age, perhaps – one in which evenings seemed to unfold more slowly. It was this sense of nostalgia – but also the possibility of recreating it for a new generation – that inspired Alysia Nicodemou and Marissa Ferentinou to launch Starlit Screens.
The two had heard countless stories about Cyprus’ once-thriving open-air cinema culture. Inspired, too, by the outdoor cinemas scattered across the Greek islands, they began imagining how that experience might be brought back home. Limassol, with its warm evenings, open skies and Mediterranean atmosphere, offers a natural setting. “Starlit Screens is the first seaside outdoor cinema of its kind in Cyprus,” Nicodemou explains. “There was something incredibly nostalgic about bringing that experience back.” Yet nostalgia was only part of the idea. They also wanted to create an alternative kind of night out: relaxed and unhurried, built around film but equally around community, atmosphere and the pleasure of simply being outdoors. What began in a single seaside location has since travelled much further. Starlit Screens has evolved into a pop-up cinema moving across Cyprus, with screenings staged in different settings and collaborations with municipalities, businesses and organisations.
Much of its success is rooted in the city where its story first began: “Limassol has grown into a vibrant, multicultural city, and this diversity has introduced us to an audience that is open and receptive to new experiences. The city also has a strong entrepreneurial spirit, with new concepts, creative businesses and ideas constantly emerging,” Ferentinou explains.
That combination of familiarity, diversity and openness has allowed them not simply to establish a business but to build a community around it. They nevertheless believe that Limassol’s rapid emergence as a business centre could be accompanied by greater investment in its cultural life. “While the city has developed rapidly as a business hub, there is an opportunity to invest more in cultural initiatives, creative spaces and alternative forms of entertainment. Supporting local artists, cultural entrepreneurs and independent concepts can make the city more inclusive and accessible, while creating new opportunities for collaboration and innovation,” Nicodemou enthuses, while Ferentinou adds: “We would love to see culture become an even bigger part of Limassol’s identity and growth, alongside its already strong business community.”
Perhaps that is part of what makes Starlit Screens so appealing. It is a business, certainly, but one built around something far less measurable: a feeling.
On a warm Cyprus evening, the screen lights up as daylight disappears. People settle in, the stars emerge overhead and, for a little while, the noise of everyday life recedes. And maybe, just like that, we remember how simple pleasure can be: a good film, good company, a summer night – and a story unfolding under the stars.
This interview first appeared in the September edition of GOLD magazine. Click here to view it.
