On the island of Mykonos, Andonis Kioukas owns Cine Manto, which is about as perfect as a place can be without sitting atop Mount Olympus itself. “Mykonos is a labyrinth and this used to be jungle”, says Kioukas, shrugging at his surroundings as if they were just an average suburban garden, weeded and given a skin-deep spruce to encourage a quick sale. In fact, Cine Manto is quite possibly the most beautiful place in which you could hope to watch a film: it’s a botanical garden with a silver screen and director’s chairs.

Entering through one of those skinny island alleyways, the prospective moviegoer is greeted by a 200- year-old cactus resembling a redwood, well-sprung fish pond in which koi tamely play and a hand-built
cabana-style bar – well stocked with cocktails. Underfoot, clean white gravel crunches beneath holiday espadrilles and the scented smoke of souvlaki grill wafts the nostrils as couples and children prepare for the 21.00 show. Tonight it is an American animated feature that forms the arc light in which the month’s flutter and the bats swoop to catch them. It’s a picture. “Come into my office,” says Kioukas, leading us to a table beneath the artfully up-lit palms and pines. It’s a nice office. A laptop and a notebook are the only items that sully the general feeling that is, in fact, the best table in a good restaurant, within easy finger-clicking range of the barman and the grill chef.

The manna on offer: perfectly torched lamb, steak, boar sausage (and the best sort of taramosalata), fassolakia lathera and tzatziki trim mings. “I have 10.000 books in my library”, says Kioukas. “Books are for the spirit but a garden is for the soul”. As the beads of condensation run down MONOCLE’S chilled glass of Mythos, we find it hard -churlish even- to disagree. Cine Manto feels venerable but isn’t old. After quitting the Thessaloniki Film Festival and Athens Fashion Week (“There’s no such thing as Greek fashion,” he tells us; maybe this is why he quit), Kioukas returned to the island where he grew up to turn “the birds and the weeds” into a cinema in 2011. Before Mykonos was a young child in a poor suburb of Athens where he remembers stealing into the cinema in the 1960s to watch the audience’s faces. “They were laughing and crying,” he says. “I told my teacher I wanted to make films such that people couldn’t hide the way they felt.” In fact, when not teaching at the Thessaloniki Film School, this ponytailed Greek philosopher in a T-shirt and linen slacks tends to
mostly make people smile.

Words by Robert Bound

On the romantic Greek Island of Mykonos, Cine Manto is set in a botanical garden. Home to Mediterranean plants, lily-covered pools and a resident pelican named Petros, it is due to show films such as Captain Phillips and Gravity over the coming months. Between 10am and 2am, a stylish restaurant serves up breakfasts, barbecues, brunch and more, beneath a canopy of trees. A must for anyone visiting Chora, the largest town on this scenic Cycladic island.

Source: https://www.independent.co.uk/travel/news-and-advice/the-big-six-open-air-cinemas-9551204.html

Need a break from the bars and clubs? Seek out this gorgeous open-air cinema in a garden setting. There’s a cafe here, too. Movies are shown in their original language; view the program online.

Source: https://www.lonelyplanet.com/greece/hora-mykonos/entertainment/cine-manto/a/poi-ent/1518319/1003373

Open-air cinemas are a quintessential Greek summer delight. Where better but the islands to enjoy a Hollywood classic or the latest blockbuster under the stars?

You’d think that the strong smell of jasmine and the noisy songs of the cicadas – both heralding the start of yet another Greek summer – would distract you from silver-screen magic at an open-air cinema. On the contrary, the allure of catching a movie under a moonlit canopy – buttered popcorn and drinks at hand – is so potent that people are willing to forego Dolby surround systems and other technology. The concept of open-air cinemas is almost as old as film itself. In the early days, Greek cinema-
goers would gather at their local kafeneio (coffee shop) at central squares, to enjoy silent films with the accompaniment of gramophone music, laterna music boxes, live pianos or even orchestras. In their heyday, more than 700 exquisite outdoor cinema halls dotted the country;
they have now dwindled to around 120. The transformation of cities, the advances in cinema technology and the creation of multiplex venues have proved severely threatening towards this classic summer pastime. But here are ten reasons why, despite the progress and change, cinematic nostalgia continues luring island-goers on balmy summer nights:

Cine Manto is an oasis of serenity right in the middle of the municipal garden in the center of the main town, Chora. Lie in one of the hammocks under the towering pines, near the lily pond, where Petros the pelican (the mascot of Mykonos) likes to hang out. The restaurant here is worth a visit, too, as it offers superb dishes, and is open from 10:00 until 2:00 (after midnight). Films are screened at 21:00 and 23:00 in English, with Greek subtitles.

Source: https://www.greece-is.com/10-best-open-air-island-cinemas-greece/

The therino (open-air cinema) is an integral part of Greek culture – there are few better ways to kick off a summer evening than watching a film at Cinema Manto under the stars while sipping a gin and tonic (you can smoke too, as it’s outdoors). Set in a walled garden with towering palm trees, fragrant pines, and cacti, the cinema shows films in original version with Greek subtitles – this summer’s program includes The Artist and The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, plus the opening ceremony of the 2012 Olympics, direct from London. Manto also works as an all-day cafe (with free wi-fi), offering a welcome escape from Mykonos’ busy waterside bars.

Source: https://blog.volotea.com/en/rincon/cinema-manto/

Apart from the open-air cinema, in the Garden, you will find the coolest cafe restaurant on the island, CINE MANTO CAFE RESTAURANT, surrounded by a beautiful garden with an ethereal atmosphere, and great food. It is open all day long, offering the pleasure of greenery, Greek breakfast, barbecue, drinks, brunch and assortments.

If you pass at midday you will be astounded by the atmosphere created from the dreamy fountains and the summer breeze that weaves through the trees. Cine Manto – Cafe Restaurant consists the perfect location for business gatherings or informal meetings. The whole establishment can host up to 200 seated people.

Book a table here!

Open 10:00am – 2:00am

A magical night to support a mythical place. Magical music performed on a mythical island under the moonlight. On Monday, August 22nd  a very special performance will take place on a very special island. The voice, Eleftheria Arvanitaki, one of Greece’s best contemporary folk singers; the lyrics, from the writing of Greek Nobel laureates and poets; the venue, the ancient island of Delos on the night of a summer full moon. And by attending this concert you will help benefit this UNESCO heritage site as the proceeds will go to restoration projects on Delos.

Petros the White Pelican is the official mascot of Mykonos. In 1954 a wounded pelican was found at the coast Mykonοs by a local fisherman. The pelican was nursed to health and remained on the island supported by locals. It soon adopted the name “Petros”, as a joke between the locals, as “petro” in Greek means “rock”, “stone” but metaphorically Old and Grumpy. ​Petros has always been a bit of an enigma as his species of pelican is not indigenous to the island or even the Aegean. To great dis-appointment by locals and tourists alike, Petros was hit by a car on 1985 and failed to recover.  As the original bird had such popularity and seemed to have developed into the Mykonian Mascot, he was posthumously replaced and a female friend was added as well. Since then there is always a pelican on Mykonos who, honorifically, was given the name Petros. Petros the Pelican  is certainly the most photographed persona on the island and resident symbol of both sea and sky for more than 60 years, escapes the Paparazzi in his own personal nest: Cine Manto Mykonos. You can find him on a given afternoon flapping hisfeathers, stretching his beak or just doing general preening in the center of town at the cinema, aka Meletopoulos’ Garden. Where does the island’s star go at night? Well, of course he wants to be in the company of other celebrities—the stars of the silver screen because he can’t resist a great flick too!

Everyday visitors to the island want to know how to get to the Windmills, Little Venice, Paradise Beach and the church of Paraportiani. These are easy photo ops and venues to see as they are locations. But when you want to find the island’s Star, if he is not feasting on fish in the early morning hours on the waterfront from the fishermen’s surplus, chances are you can find him in the garden. And of course, while there visitors can enjoy a lush oasis of flora and fauna, cool in the worst of the summer heat and protected from the raging northerly winds when they choose to blow. 

Το Cine Manto στην Μύκονο, ένα από τα ομορφότερα θερινά σινεμά του κόσμου, ανακοίνωσε συναυλίες και εκδηλώσεις για το 2016. Το Cine Manto Mykonos που σύμφωνα με ξένα μέσα όπως ο Guardian και Ιndependent είναι ένα από τα 10 καλύτερα θερινά σινεμά του κόσμου, ξεκινάει τις προβολές για το φετινό καλοκαίρι και παρουσιάζει το νέο πρόγραμμα πολιτιστικών εκδηλώσεων που φέτος έχει και συναυλίες.  

ΠΟΛΙΤΙΣΤΙΚΗ ΑΝΤΖΕΝΤΑ ΓΙΑ ΤΟ ΚΑΛΟΚΑΙΡΙ 2016
* 3 Ιουνίου, Ημέρα Περιβάλλοντος στο CINE MANTO MYKONOS με προβολή ντοκιμαντέρ, Guardians of the Aegean,του Όμηρου Ευαγγελινού. Η καταπολέμιση της υπεραλίευσης και της επιβίωσης των αλιευτικών κοινοτήτων του Αιγαίου.
* 17 Ιουλίου, Συναυλία Ελευθερίας Αρβανιτάκη στη ΔήλοΤο σημαντικότερο μουσικό γεγονός του καλοκαιριού. Η Ελευθερία Αρβανιτάκη σε μία μοναδική συναυλία με ελληνική ποίηση, κάτω από το φως του φεγγαριού, στο ιερό νησί της Δήλου. Διοργάνωση: ΚΑ’ Εφορεία Αρχαιοτήτων Κυκλάδων, Δήμος Μυκόνου & CINE MANTO MYKONOS.
* 22 Ιουλίου – 14 Σεπτεμβρίου, Έκθεση “Δύο Πρωτοκυκλαδικοί επισκέπτες”. στη Δημοτική Πινακοθήκη Μυκόνου Δύο ειδώλια από το Μουσείο Κυκλαδικής Τέχνης, πλαισιωμένα με προβολές και επεξηγηματικό υλικό συστήνουν τα αριστουργήματα της Πρωτοκυκλαδικής Τέχνης της 3ης χιλιετίας π. Χ. στους επισκέπτες της καλοκαιρινής Μυκόνου. Διοργάνωση: Μουσείο Κυκλαδικής Τέχνης, ΚΔΕΠΑΜΜ, σε συνεργασία με το CINE MANTO MYKONOS.
* 15-21 Σεπτεμβρίου, Έκθεση “Παράδοση και Eξέλιξη: έννοιες συγκλίνουσες ή ασύμβατες;” στη Δημοτική Πινακοθήκη Mυκόνου. Ημερίδα για την παραδοσιακή αρχιτεκτονική με αφορμή την έκθεση αρχιτεκτονικών σχεδίων και ζωγραφικής του Αρχιτέκτονα και Πολεοδόμου Αριστείδη Ρωμανού. Στην ημερίδα θα συμμετέχουν οι: Γιάννης Κίζης, Δημήτρης Φιλιππίδης και Αριστείδης Ρωμανός. Διοργάνωση: ΚΔΕΠΑΜΜ,σε συνεργασία με το CINE MANTO MYKONOS.
* 2 Οκτωβρίου, “Παπα Γιώργης Ζουγανέλης, Ο παπάς της καρδιάς” στο CINE MANTO MYKONOS. Στη σειρά ντοκιμαντέρ του Αντώνη Θεοχάρη Κιούκα για τους ανθρώπους που σημάδεψαν την ιστορία της Μυκόνου τον 20ο αιώνα, φέτος θα παρουσιαστεί μια ταινία για τον αιωνόβιο ιερέα Γιώργη Ζουγανέλη, που η ζωή του είναι μια μικρή ιστορία της μεγάλης Ιστορίας του νησιού. Παραγωγή: Qkas Productions, CINE MANTO MYKONOS.

Πηγή: LIFO

Cine Manto is a unique and vast garden located in the center of town of Mykonos, open to the public, drowned by palm trees, towering pines and unique species of cactus. Sheltered from the wind and always cool, is an unexpected picture of Mykonos. Within these majestic garden there are: an open-air-cinema “Cine Manto open-air cinema” and the coolest cafe-restaurant of the island “Cine Manto Restaurant”.  With much more to offer than just another screening, one will be amazed when discovering this little piece of paradise. Cine Manto Mykonos acts as a shelter from the sometimes bustled and energetic lifestyle of Mykonos. If one prefers something other than clubbing, shopping,  strolling around or you want to relax, Cine Manto Mykonos is your go-to place; an unexpected picture that serves as scenery for an unusual experience.