Cinemaholics            Built a 700K Film media PLATFORM from the ground-up.

Founded in 2012, Cinemaholics grew into one of the most influential film communities across Russian-speaking social media, reaching 700K+ followers.

I identified a structural gap in Eastern European film media: coverage was split between mainstream entertainment and academic discourse, leaving independent cinema disconnected from a wider audience.

Positioned at that intersection, Cinemaholics reframed indie film within contemporary culture—championing auteur-driven and festival cinema in a voice that felt immediate, conversational, and socially native. A curated network of contributors and a strong editorial point of view turnedniche releases into shared cultural moments.

Cinemaholics became a trusted platform for both audiences and distributors—supporting releases through targeted campaigns and translating online engagement into sold-out screenings and active communities around independent film.

cult following

The platform fostered a strong creator–audience dynamic, with a level of loyalty and identification rarely seen in traditional film media.

From Industry professionals

  • Cinemaholics is one of the main reasons I fell in love with cinema. It’s a project that speaks to its audience clearly and on equal footing—without pretension or snobbery. With sharp humor and genuine warmth, it takes you by the hand and confidently guides you through the vast and extraordinary world of film.

    Viktoria Lymar
    Creative producer at A-One Films

  • “Cinemaholics played a real role in moving independent cinema into the mainstream conversation. That kind of influence is rare.”

    Vasilisa Kuzmina

    Director of Nika (2022)

  • Cinemaholics stands out as one of the most honest and perceptive voices in film media. At its core is something increasingly rare: a truly grassroots initiative, built purely on a love for cinema. There’s nothing more valuable than that—because that love isn’t just behind Cinemaholics, it defines it.

    Michael Borodin

    Director of Convenience Store (2022)

brand identity

Cinemaholics positioned independent cinema as part of everyday cultural conversation—intelligent, irreverent, and socially fluent. Built on a minimal visual language (black & white, film stills, the cross as a “temple of cinema”), the platform rejected traditional film media aesthetics in favor of something more immediate and culturally embedded.

Editorially, it operated from a clear point of view—placing festival and mainstream films within the same taste framework, introducing independent directors to wider audiences while reinterpreting blockbusters through a cinephile lens. Cinemaholics functioned as both a media platform and a participatory community.

Thousands of followers contributed content, with the editorial team curating submissions into a cohesive voice—blending authorship with collective engagement.

Broadcast & Media Appearances

TV Rain — On-air commentary on Oscar season (23M viewers)

RTVI — Festival correspondent, Venice (20M viewers)

Kino TV — Cannes Film Festival coverage