Great cinemas of the world

One of my favourite things to do when I go to another country is go to the movies. Even if I can’t understand the language, seeing (or hearing) how people react to the movies can be entertainment in itself. And then there’s the movie houses - my favourites would have to be the floridly magnificent Tuschinski in Amsterdam (it’s nick-named the Dowager’s Bon-Bon Box), the faded powder-blue Deco elegance of Mumbai’s Apollo, and the lavish mish-mash of San Francisco’s Castro.

First on my wish list? The Ballerina Ballroom Cinema of Dreams, the Scottish festival dreamed up by Tilda Swinton and Mark Cousins - eclectic programming, a venue with a peerless pedigree (the Who and Pink Floyd played there) and an entry fee that can be waived for a tray of home-baked fairy cakes.

Food, of course, is an important element of any cinema experience. According to the Thorn Tree, the Ritz in Scranton, Pennsylvania ‘give you pickles from a big jar.’

Now that’s entertainment.

- Cherry Washington

Read more.