Wed 16 Mar

I guess it's been on my mental list for a while. Whenever I talk about cinema going with middle-class Sudanese they mention Friendship Hall. The cinema is part of a major complex for exhibitions and conferences (built by the Chinese). I think it has a regular programme but one frustration is definitely how to find-out what's on. There are no listings magazines, newspaper adverts, or publicised telephone numbers. It seems to me if you want to see a film you just turn up and wait for it to start…

This evening, admission is free. I came along earlier in the day and saw a poster outside. The film is being promoted by the Ministry of Culture for Syria. I couldn't decide if it would be a documentary or a feature but it seemed as good an excuse as any to go and see what Friendship Hall is like.

Blimey, it's more like the London's South Bank than you can imagine - proper big air-conditioned cinema. Only the wandering brightness of the projection bulb and the constant burble of sprockets engaging the film give a clue that we might still be in a developing country.

Without wanting to sound patronising, the film was a good effort, but it was also very strange: set about 50 years ago with very wooden acting. I went with Mango Juice Girl as we're into cheap dates and made a pact as we went in that if it got too boring we could leave before the end. In fact we lasted but I think it was a close run thing.