Cinephilia

The term Cinephilia refers to when someone has a strong interest in cinema, movie theories and movie criticism. Since the silent era, there have been various waves of cinephiles, people with strong interest for cinema and movies. The movie community which may have been best noted in relations to cinephilia, however, are one that was developed during World War II around Paris, France. A major influx of foreign movies, alongside a screening program used with certain local movie clubs, generated interest for world cinema among the intellectual youth culture of the city. This community fostered a strong interest in directors and movies which may have been neglected, forgotten or simply not known in the West. Notable directors of French cinephiles in this period include although are not limited to Alfred Hitchcock and Orson Welles. This profession has become less connected with movie going due to presence of DVDs and VHS cassettes.