SOCOTRA, LA ISLA DE LOS GENIOS

SOCOTRA, THE ISLAND OF DJINNS

Jordi Esteva / Spain / 2016 / 64 min / Black and white

The island of Socotra, located in an archipelago facing the Horn of Africa, in the Indian Ocean about 350 km from Yemen, which administers it,  is a unique place on the planet, where nature has evolved autonomously with respect to the rest of the world. The mysterious, inaccessible environments, the variety of native animal and vegetal species such as frankincense and myrrh trees, and the dreamy atmosphere, enhanced here by the use of black and white, seem to belong to a legendary world, perhaps prehistoric, perhaps from the Hereafter. Here, the few inhabitants still live according to traditional ways, unaware of modernity. The stories told around the fire, in the enchanting sounds of the Soqotri language, documented for the first time in this film, transmit the legends of genies, monstrous serpents, and evil spirits who trick the shepherds, preserving the memory of this ancient, magical land. 

  • Jordi Esteva

    Jordi Esteva

    A writer, photographer and documentarist born in Barcelona in 1951, Esteva is passionate about Africa and the Middle East. He makes his documentaries to combat the neglect of the magical, wonderful realities that are succumbing to the push for globalisation.  He has directed Return to the Land of Souls (2010), Komian (2014) and Socotra, the Land of Djinns (2016).

Credits

Subject Jordi EstevaScreenplay Jordi EstevaCinematography Albert Serradó, Jordi Esteva, Albert BuendíaSound Jordi TresserrasEditing Santy BorricónProducer Jordi EstevaProduction company Siwa Productions

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