The history of cinema began on December 28, 1895, when the first film screening was held in Paris on the Boulevard des Capucines in one of the halls of the "Grand Cafe". Soon, film companies and film studios began to form all over the world.

In the first decade of cinematic history, cinema has evolved from a novelty to an established mass entertainment industry. The earliest films were black-and-white, less than a minute long, without sound recording, and consisted of a single frame shot by a still camera.

Cinematography has evolved over the years through the advent of montage, camera movement, and other cinematic techniques.

From the late 1890s, special effects began to be used in cinema. Cinema became widespread due to the emergence of new media, including television (since the 1950s), home video (since the 1980s) and the Internet (since the 1990s).