On the evening of November 6 in Nicosia, on the capital’s Diagorou Street, Pantheon Theatre prepares to screen Alfred Hitchcock’s “Vertigo.” The 1958 psychological thriller marks the inaugural presentation of STYX Film Encounters, a new initiative that aspires to affect the cultural landscape of Cyprus through the medium of classic cinema.
The brains behind STYX is Christina Pari, a trained neuroscientist (pun intended). For her, this evening represents the culmination of a lifelong devotion to the silver screen.
“I have been a film buff my whole life”, Pari says, recalling how her cinematic education began in her teenage years. Together with her best friend, Phedias, she would watch films “fanatically, almost ritualistically”, a practice that eventually led them to launch a Facebook page dedicated to film critique and analysis. This virtual space became a foster home for a scattered community of Cypriot cinephiles, revealing an appetite for serious film discourse.
STYX emerged from a recognition of absence. “We saw a need, both in ourselves and others, for an opportunity to engage with films from across cinematic history in the most authentic way possible—on the big screen”, Pari explains. In Nicosia, where cultural options often feel limited, the shortage of regular film screenings stood out as a particular void. Yet, as Pari is quick to point out, “There is a growing and lively cinema-going community in Cyprus, as is evident at the various film festivals and film clubs throughout the island”. This existing enthusiasm “encouraged us to commit to this undertaking of broadening the options for cinema outings”.
STYX’s inaugural programme, titled “Quintessential Cinema”, unfolds like a love letter to film history. Following “Vertigo”, the series will present Jean-Luc Godard’s breathless New Wave masterpiece “Breathless” (1960), Michelangelo Antonioni’s enigmatic “L’Avventura” (1960), Wong Kar-wai’s sublime “In the Mood for Love” (2000), and Victor Fleming’s eternally enchanting “The Wizard of Oz” (1939).
Each screening will feature introductions by local film experts, a detail that Pari believes is crucial to the project’s mission. “Our speakers will guide the audience’s attention and raise noteworthy elements to look out for in each film”, she says.
The curation of STYX followed what Pari describes as “three main principles: introducing audiences to important milestones of international cinema, creating a welcoming space for film lovers to experience classic movies on the big screen, and testing the reach of such a holistic programme as our introduction to the public.” Looking ahead, STYX plans to expand its offerings with “more frequent screening programmes and eclectic theming”.
But bringing classic cinema back to the big screen has proved no simple undertaking. “Costs were a steep hurdle”, Pari admits, detailing the expensive enterprise of securing film copyrights. “For a lot of the films, even classic ones, it is difficult to find a distributor carrying their rights. Organising screenings of such legendary films at an iconic cinema in the heart of Nicosia turned out to be a pricey venture!” Nevertheless, she says that “our admiration for these films and our excitement to share these experiences with the public make it all worth it”.
STYX has announced that all screenings in the launch programme, which runs until December 7, will be free of charge. Each film will be shown with both Greek and English subtitles. “We hope to provide a space for the local film community of creators, academics and cinephiles to have as a sanctuary for appreciating great movies”, Pari says, “but we especially wish to welcome anyone who wants to discover some of the greatest films ever made for the very first time”.
She adds: “We hope the public feels that STYX fills a gap in the cultural activity calendar of the capital and that more people are encouraged to return to the cinema through our programmes”.
As streaming services continue their inexorable march toward dominance of entertainment, STYX stands as something of a bulwark—a reminder that some experiences cannot be replicated on a laptop screen, a smart TV or even a mobile phone.
