Brief Encounters - Episode 1

Matthew Sweet transports listeners into cinemas located around the world with a series of short features, eavesdropping on the stories, the characters and occasionally trying the snacks. Today a cinema in Beirut that nearly didn't open at all. From the multiplexes of the western world to some of the most remote locations on Earth, the act of going to the cinema speaks volumes. This series captures the passions, problems and popcorn habits of film goers as they indulge in an activity that unites the planet. But the story of cinema now is also the story of the political and cultural tensions that divide the world. We'll be given a front row ticket to an outdoor screening of a Kung-fu movie on the wall of a Buddhist temple, hear the story of a cinema turned Beirut bombshelter and meet a young man as he recalls his first trip to a Kabul cinema since the departure of the Taliban. Producers: Sara Jane Hall and Neil George.