Filamu
Movie & series browser
Browse trending, top-rated and upcoming films and series with rich TMDB data — ratings, cast and details — behind Clerk auth, in a retro VHS-styled interface.
- Next.js 16
- TypeScript
- Tailwind
- Clerk
- TMDB API
- TanStack Query
Context
Filamu is a fast movie-and-series browser built on rich TMDB data — ratings, cast, and details — wrapped in a playful retro VHS aesthetic.
The problem
A good browsing experience over film data is really a UI/UX problem: making a large catalogue feel fast and legible while giving it a distinct character.
Approach
A Next.js + TypeScript front end (Tailwind) over the TMDB API, with TanStack Query for cached, synchronised data fetching and Clerk for user auth — tuned for speed and a clean, characterful reading layout.
Securing it
Mostly a read-only browser over public film data, so the security surface is small and stated plainly: keep the TMDB API key server-side, and let Clerk handle user authentication for account-gated features like the watchlist.
What shipped
Shipped — live at filamu-by-ihope.vercel.app, with source on GitHub.
Links