The scent of summer grew a lot stronger this week, as the first open-air cinemas opened their doors around Athens for the season. Movie theaters offering the Athenians’ favorite warm-weather evening pastime are located in parks and on terraces all around the city, and the first screenings include everything from the classics and  Oscar-winning performances, to superhero-fun.

(Note that below is not a comprehensive list of Athens’ open air cinemas – only those that have opened so far).

Zephyros Cinema, on buzzing Troon Street in Petralona, counts many regulars, as film buffs know that there’s no better place to go for the classics. The first screenings of this year here are Joseph Losey’s masterpiece “Mr. Klein” and Marco Ferreri’s “Tales of Ordinary Madness” based on the writings of Charles Bukowski.

Not far from here, on the pretty pedestrian street Dionysiou Aeropagitou below the Acropolis, the famous Cine Thiseio starts the season with Yorgos Lanthimos’ latest film, “The Favourite”, for which Olivia Colman picked up an Oscar for her leading role as Queen Anne.

Cine Paris, in Plaka, boasts a jaw-dropping view of the Acropolis and the opportunity to browse dozens of old movie posters. Here, Clint Eastwood’s excellent film “The Mule” and Justin Kelley’s “JT Leroy” (based on Savannah Knoop’s memoir “Girl Boy Girl: How I Became JT Leroy”) are being screened.

Superhero-movie fans are in luck, as three outdoor cinemas are screening the new Marvel uber-blockbuster, “Avengers: Endgame”. Choose between Cine Alsos, in the lush green park of the northern suburb of Nea Filadelfia, the modern Cine Pallini, located on Marathonos Avenue and where you can order a drink from a list of 20 different cocktails, and Cine Oropos, for those who prefer their epic superhero battles paired with seaside scenery.

Featuring one of the biggest outdoor cinema screens in the city and a well-stocked snack bar, Cine Geraka presents four movie choices, with something for every taste: Alexandre Espigares’ “White Fang”, Kevin Kolsch and Dennis Widmyer’s “Pet Sematary”, “The Favourite” and Neil Marshall’s “Hellboy”.

Meanwhile, Sissy Cinema in Nea Makri, open since 1966, starts the season off with Kristoffer Nyholm’s “The Vanishing” and Kelly Asbury’s animated children’s film “UglyDolls”.

For 30 years, the locals in Korydallos spend summer evenings on the terrace of Cine Paradisos. This summer, the cinema presents a tribute to Greek filmmaker Theo Angelopoulos. Organized in cooperation with the municipality and the local cinema club, it follows a previous event of this spring, when the square in front of the cinema was renamed in honor of the filmmaker, and it will be a treat for the city’s film fanatics.

Last but not least, Cine Selini is a great option for those longing for the season’s first trip out of the city. Located on the nearby island of Salamina, you can end a day spent at the beach with a movie set against the starry sky. Choose between “The Favourite” and Michael Chaves’ thrilling “The Curse of La Llorona”.

[ANA-MPE]