What's New in Cinemata 2.0


Published by King Catoy on 08/02/2025

Four years after launching as Asia-Pacific's platform for social issue films, Cinemata is taking a bold step forward. Following a comprehensive security audit by the Open Technology Fund and transitioning to full open-source development, we're excited to unveil Cinemata 2.0 – a faster, more secure, and community-driven platform that puts social issue filmmakers first.

Why This Matters: Breaking Free from Big Tech

While mainstream video platforms prioritise engagement metrics and ad revenue, Cinemata remains committed to what matters most: amplifying voices that need to be heard. Our platform is completely ad-free, respects your privacy, and provides a secure space where important stories about human rights and environmental justice can find their audience without fear of censorship or algorithmic suppression.

A Faster, Smarter Platform

Speed matters when you're sharing urgent stories. Cinemata 2.0 delivers significant performance improvements, making uploading, streaming, and discovering content faster than ever. 


Screenshot from Adryan Van Ekra's presentation demonstrating improvements post-Cloudflare optimisation.  

Your films deserve to look their best, whether viewers are watching on a phone in rural areas or a high-end laptop in the city. Our enhanced video player now:

    • Automatically adjusts video quality based on each viewer's internet speed and device, ensuring smooth playback without frustrating buffering
    • Optimizes for every device – from smartphones to desktop computers – so your cinematography looks stunning everywhere
    • Prevents interruptions with intelligent buffering that keeps videos playing smoothly, even on slower connections
    • Maintains visual quality while adapting to network conditions, so your artistic vision comes through clearly

Screenshot from Adryan Van Ekra's presentation explaining how improvements to Cinemata's VJS Player are implemented.  

New Features That Empower Storytellers

Enhanced Playlists for Better Curation

Creating meaningful collections of films is now easier and more flexible. Trusted users, editors, and managers can curate public, unlisted, and password-protected content into themed playlists – perfect for film festivals, educational series, or advocacy campaigns. Your private videos remain completely secure while giving you more control over how you organize and share your work. 

Restricted Videos That Work

We've fixed the longstanding issue where restricted videos weren't displaying properly. Now your password-protected content works seamlessly, giving you complete control over who sees your most sensitive work.

Whisper-Powered Transcription with Large-v3

Accessibility and global reach matter. Our upgraded speech recognition system now uses Whisper's Large-v3 model – the best option available for community-run platforms like ours. While transcription technology still has room for improvement, especially for local languages, we're committed to experimenting with the best possible configurations to enhance your experience. As the technology continues to evolve, we're positioning Cinemata to take advantage of these improvements, helping your films become more accessible to deaf and hard-of-hearing viewers while reaching broader audiences.

Cinemata Blog and Curator Voices

Filmmakers are more than just content creators – they're storytellers, advocates, and voices of change. Our new sidebar section features:

  • Blog - keeping you informed about platform improvements and site announcements about new features, partnerships, and opportunities
  • Curator voices – reflections and insights from our community curators and guest contributors who help discover and spotlight exceptional films

Enhanced Security That Protects Your Work



Your films and personal information deserve the highest level of protection. Cinemata 2.0 introduces several security improvements designed with filmmakers in mind:

    • Passwordless Login - You can now access your account using secure email codes instead of traditional passwords – no more worrying about forgotten passwords or weak login credentials. Simply enter your email, check your inbox, and you're in.
    • Stronger Password Protection - For those who prefer traditional passwords, we now support and encourage more complex passwords with enhanced encryption, making your account significantly harder to compromise.
    • Multi-Factor Authentication for Key Personnel - While not yet available for all users, site administrators and curators now use multi-factor authentication to protect the platform. This enhanced security layer helps safeguard the 6,600+ videos and thousands of user accounts that call Cinemata home.

Polished Interface Improvements

The play button has been moved to the bottom left corner of the screen for easier access on mobile devices. The colors have been enhanced to match the site’s branding, and all thumbnails now have rounded corners for a more modern look.   

Filmmakers notice the details, and so do we. Cinemata 2.0 includes numerous small but meaningful interface updates that make navigating the platform more intuitive and visually appealing, ensuring your focus stays on discovering and sharing great films rather than figuring out how to use the site.

What's Next: Milestone 2 and Beyond

This is just the beginning. Our roadmap for the coming months includes:

Enhanced User Experience - Modern interface improvements that make discovering and sharing films even more intuitive, including mobile-optimised design and personalised recommendations based on your interests, not advertising metrics.

Community Engagement Tools - New features for filmmakers to connect directly with their audiences, including discussion forums, Q&A sessions, and filmmaker spotlights.

Co-Viewing Experiences - Watch parties and collaborative viewing sessions that bring communities together around the films that matter to them.

Direct Support for Filmmakers - Integration with e-money platforms that allow viewers to directly support filmmakers whose work moves them, ensuring creators are compensated for their important work.

🙏 Acknowledgments

We extend our heartfelt gratitude to our exceptional development team and community contributors:

  • Jay Cruz - Whisper.cpp integration and MFA enhancements
  • John Henry Galino - TinyMCE implementation and static page improvements
  • King Catoy - Development lead, enhanced playlist functionality, user management and UI/UX enhancements
  • Khairunnisa & Mico - Documentation excellence and community engagement
  • Adryan Eka Vandra - Frontend security updates, and Cloudflare optimisation
  • Ashraf Haque -  Site administration, code reviews, and platform stability

Join the Movement

Cinemata 2.0 represents more than a platform upgrade – it's a commitment to building technology that serves storytellers, not shareholders. By choosing Cinemata, you're supporting a privacy-respecting, community-driven alternative that empowers filmmakers and their audiences. Help improve the site by reporting bugs, sharing feature-related ideas in our GitHub community discussion room.

Ready to explore what's new? Visit Cinemata.org and experience the future of advocacy filmmaking – built by the community, for the community.