In The Sound of Broken Glass, former Middle East correspondent Marcel van der Steen follows six inhabitants of Beirut, immediately after the fatal explosion in the port. He zooms in on their lifes while they try to pick up the pieces. 

On August 4 2020, 2,750 tons of ammonium nitrate exploded in the middle of the city. At least 220 people were killed, 300 thousand people lost their homes. But the drama was even greater, as the explosion was the final blow to a country already suffering from a political crisis, a pandemic and a collapsing economy. According to some residents of the Lebanese capital, the blast was the 'cherry on the cake'.

The Sound Of Broken Glass tells the story of a city in ruins, from the moment the news crews have left. It shows how Ahmed in Karantina is trying to deal with the loss of his wife and two children. And DJ Tash, who continues to party after losing her house. She mourns and plays records. Or Melanie, who not only lost her city, but also her creative bubble that exploded with it. Is she going to stay?
The Sound of Broken Glass is an intimate portrait that does not particularly zooms in on Lebanon's politics or economy, but shows how the explosion reverberates among its inhabitants.

Dutch journalist Marcel van der Steen lived and worked in Beirut between 2017 and 2020. After the port explosion he decided to go back. It broke his heart. And he decided to stay to tell the story of Beirut left behind by the other cameras that were gone again.