35mm
Overview
35mm takes its name from the film format that defined a century of cinema. The app is built for people who don't just watch movies , they live them. Its focus: the public domain archive. Thousands of historically significant films, legally free, culturally rich, and almost entirely invisible to modern audiences.
The result
A feature for cinephile that enhances the movie experience, in a not intrusive way. “Cinephile Mode” reframes passive streaming as active cultural discovery. It introduces contextual layers and editorial logic that transform watching into learning, collecting, and interpreting.
What moviegoers want?
We're drowning in content. Streaming platforms compete for attention with an endless stream of new releases, algorithmic recommendations, and ever-growing libraries.
The question driving this project: how do you make films from another era feel worth watching today?
This isn't just a content discovery problem. It's an experience problem. And in a saturated streaming market, experience is the real differentiator.
The Approach
I looked at where audiovisual media is heading: 3D viewing, immersive formats, interactive storytelling, and asked: what version of that makes sense for public domain cinema? Not gimmicks, but something genuinely useful to a film lover.
I also thought carefully about the two types of users this app would attract: the casual viewer, who needs a reason to take a chance on an unknown old film, and the cinephile, who already loves classic cinema but craves more depth and context.
The solution needed to serve both without alienating either.
I designed a signature feature called Cinephile Mode, an optional layer that activates during playback, surfacing fun facts, historical context, and behind-the-scenes curiosities at relevant moments throughout the film.
The design principle behind it was non-intrusiveness above all else. The feature enriches the viewing experience without hijacking it. Trivia appears contextually, users can engage or ignore it freely, and it can be switched off entirely at any moment. Control stays with the viewer.
For the casual user, it lowers the barrier to trying an unfamiliar film — there's now something extra to discover. For the cinephile, it adds a layer of depth that makes revisiting a classic genuinely rewarding.
