Socotra, the Land of Djinns

Directed by Jordi Esteva

The island of Socotra lies in the Indian Ocean between Arabia and Somalia. It was known in antiquity times for its Phoenix and Rukh birds. Frankincense and myrrh trees grow freely, as well as the dragon's blood tree proved by Egyptians, greeks and romans. The first commercial flights, at the start of this century marked, for almost a couple of decades, the end of Socotra's century of isolation. The current situation of civil war in Yemen has isolated again the remote island. In the film, a group of camel drivers heads to the secret interior of Socotra before the rainy season and they explain by the fire ancient stories of djinns and giant snakes.