cineaste

American  

[sin-ee-ast, sin-ey-] / ˈsɪn iˌæst, ˈsɪn eɪ- /

Or cineast,

noun

1. any person, especially a director or producer, associated professionally with filmmaking.

2. an aficionado of filmmaking.

---

cineaste British  

/ ˈsɪnɪˌæst /

noun

1. an enthusiast for films

---

Etymology

Origin of cineaste

1925–30; < French cinéaste, equivalent to ciné- cine- + -aste, as in ecclésiaste, gymnaste, etc.

Example Sentences

His cineaste mother took him from their home in Boulder, Colo., to Colorado Springs about 100 miles away, to an art house where they would watch French New Wave films.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 11, 2023

A lot of people put a lot of time and effort into finishing this off just right. 4K UHD is my favorite, but I’m a cineaste, so I put the money into the equipment.

From Seattle Times • Dec. 10, 2020

In my days as an impecunious young cineaste, there was the Tolmer cinema in Euston, the cheapest picturehouse in London, or anywhere – two shillings a time.

From The Guardian • May 15, 2020

It’s fitting that the winner of the world’s first film festival for GIFs—or, excuse me, “short-form content”—doesn’t exactly consider herself a cineaste.

From Slate • Nov. 9, 2018

Mr. Spielberg, a digital enthusiast and an old-school cineaste, goes further than most filmmakers in exploring the aesthetic possibilities of a form that is frequently dismissed and misunderstood.

From New York Times • Mar. 28, 2018