I knew Wadi Rum in southern Jordan, had been used as a filming location: Much of Lawrence of Arabia was shot there in 1962, which made sense since the British officer himself passed through the region in the early 20th century.

What I didn't know was that since then, several science fiction movies were filmed in the red sandstone mountains of this "Valley of the Moon." No wonder these sleepy Bedouin kids looked like little extraterrestrials!