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.

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cineaste British  

/ ˈsɪnɪˌæst /

noun

1. an enthusiast for films

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Etymology

Origin of cineaste

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

Example Sentences

Silvia Del Carmen Castaños was a student in a Laredo, Texas, high school when the budding cineaste submitted a short piece to a community film festival.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 3, 2025

This allusion to “The Night of the Hunter” can be seen as a cineaste tribute, as one great filmmaker nodding at another.

From New York Times • Jan. 3, 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