What is "cinephilia"

n. enthusiasm for films and the cinema.

Cinephilia is the term used to refer to a passionate interest in cinema, film theory and film criticism. The term is a portmanteau of the words cinema and philia, one of the four ancient Greek words for love. A person with a passionate interest in cinema is called a cinephile, cinemaphile or informally a movie buff.

In English, it is sometimes used interchangeably with the French word cinéaste, though in the original French the term refers to a cinephile who is also a filmmaker.