Review: The Lebanese Rocket Society (PG)

In the 1960s the space race was being run by the USSR and the USA as a companion piece to the increasingly chilly Cold War. Yet in the desert of Lebanon a band of academics were blasting rockets into the atmosphere in the name of science.

They called themselves the Lebanese Rocket Society. Curious, ambitious and in sync with the international space programme but with none of the finance and accoutrements they created the first rocket in the Arab world. Chief scientist and technician Manoug Manougian, now long domiciled in America, was inspired by Jules Verne. And for a time he and his band of enthusiastic amateurs – they built their rockets from spare parts and mixed their own propellant – enjoyed a shared dream of conquering space.

A fascinating tale, this documentary feels like fiction. But as director and narrator Joana Hadjithomas observes, “It was not a joke”.

At Hyde Park Picture House, Leeds, on Sunday.

On limited release