If you're visiting Athens this summer, the city's open-air cinemas - known locally as "θερινά"(therina) - are worth building an evening around, and this August several are showing Greek classic films alongside the new releases. The clearest case is Cine Paris in Plaka, where two Oscar-nominated Greek dramas from the 1960s are booked into the evening programme this season. Watching a black-and-white Greek film from six decades ago under the open sky, with the Acropolis right above you, is one of the more distinctive things a visitor can do here in August.
What a θερινό Actually Is
A θερινό (plural θερινά, literally "the summer one") is an open-air cinema built into a courtyard, a rooftop or a garden, usually running from May to September before the space reverts to something else - a café terrace, an empty lot - for the rest of the year. Seating is plastic garden chairs rather than stadium rows, the screen sits against the night sky instead of a wall, and most venues sell snacks - popcorn, ice cream, sometimes a glass of wine - from a kiosk by the entrance. The format dates back to the 1950s, when open-air tickets were cheaper than indoor ones, and it became a fixture of the Athens summer rather than a novelty.
Cine Paris in Plaka: Where the Classics Return
The most visible example this season is Cine Paris, on Kydathineon Street in Plaka, a short walk from the Acropolis with rooftop seats that look straight at it. Mood's screening data shows the venue running two nightly slots through August: an earlier one built around older titles - Amélie, Psycho and, this past week, a run of Jane Austen adaptations from Sense and Sensibility to Pride and Prejudice - and a later slot for newer releases such as The Invite. The two Greek classics take over the earlier slot on their scheduled dates.
Two Oscar-Nominated Greek Classics Coming Back This Season
Vasilis Georgiadis directed both films, and he remains the only Greek filmmaker nominated for the foreign-language Oscar twice within three years. The Red Lanterns (1963), adapted from Alekos Galanos's play about Piraeus's red-light district, screens at Cine Paris on 26 August at around 8:15pm, with a cast - Tzeni Karezi, Giorgos Foundas, Dimitris Papamichael and Mary Chronopoulou - that reads like a shortlist of Greek cinema's golden period, scored by Stavros Xarhakos.
The second film moves the story from Piraeus's brothels to the Thessaly countryside. Blood on the Land, centred on the 1910 Kileler land disputes with Nikos Kourkoulos and Manos Katrakis in the lead roles, earned Georgiadis his second Oscar nomination and screens at Cine Paris on 2 September, closing the classics slot for the season. Both dates were still confirmed on Mood's screening data as of mid-August, so the programme has not shifted since it was first announced.
Beyond the Classics: What Else Is Playing at Athens' Open-Air Screens
The Georgiadis double bill is not the only thing running at Athens's θερινά this month. On a single day in mid-August, Mood's screening data listed more than 70 open-air cinemas active across the city, from Thiseion and Dexameni near the centre to smaller neighbourhood courtyards in Gerakas, Pallini and Nea Peramos - a spread that says more about how deep the tradition runs in Athens than any one venue could.
Most of that programme is new releases rather than revivals, and the two Georgiadis screenings sit closer to the exception than the rule. Cine Paris itself splits its own schedule roughly the same way, alternating classics and contemporary titles rather than running a dedicated revival house.
The Odyssey, Christopher Nolan's telling of Homer's epic, was the most-screened film across Athens's open-air cinemas that same day, running at 22 of the roughly 70 venues Mood tracked - close to one in three - with 34 separate showings. Spider-Man: Brand New Day and the Greek comedy The Great Massacre of Alimos followed some distance behind.
Practical Guide for Visitors
Arrive 20-30 minutes before showtime - most θερινά sell snacks and drinks at the entrance, and popular nights fill the good seats early.
Bring a light layer. Even in August, courtyard and rooftop venues cool down once the sun is down.
Greek classics screen in Greek with no dubbing; check with the venue whether English subtitles are available before booking if you don't speak Greek.
Cine Paris is walkable from Syntagma or Monastiraki metro stations - no car or taxi needed if you're staying centrally.
Most θερινά don't require advance booking outside peak weekend nights, but a smaller venue can genuinely sell out on a busy August evening.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are θερινά cinemas?
Θερινά (singular θερινό) are open-air cinemas that operate in Greece from roughly May to September, set up in courtyards, gardens or rooftops with outdoor seating instead of an indoor auditorium. Athens has one of the highest concentrations of them anywhere in Greece, with dozens still active through August.
Do open-air cinemas in Athens show classic Greek films?
Some do, usually as a themed slot rather than the full programme. Cine Paris in Plaka is currently running two Oscar-nominated Greek dramas from the 1960s, The Red Lanterns and Blood on the Land, alongside its regular rotation of newer releases and foreign classics.
Where can I watch classic Greek films in Athens this summer?
Cine Paris in Plaka is the most reliable option this season, with The Red Lanterns screening on 26 August and Blood on the Land on 2 September. Other θερινά occasionally run Greek classics as one-off revival nights, so it's worth checking a venue's schedule directly if a specific film matters to you.
Do I need to book tickets in advance for Cine Paris?
It's not usually required outside weekend nights, but Cine Paris is a small venue and does sell out on popular evenings, particularly for a scheduled classics screening. Arriving 20-30 minutes early is a safer approach than assuming there will be seats left.
Are Greek classic films shown with English subtitles?
It depends on the venue and the print being used, and this isn't something screening databases track directly, so it's worth confirming with the cinema before you go if you don't speak Greek.
The full current line-up across Athens's open-air screens, classics and new releases alike, is listed on Mood's Athens cinema page, updated as venues confirm their schedules through the rest of the θερινά season.
