Christopher Nolan criticized for filming 'The Odyssey' in Western Sahara
The British director has filmed scenes in Dakhla, a Sahrawi city under Moroccan control, which has been denounced by Sahrawi cultural and political organizations.
BarcelonaBritish director Christopher Nolan has received criticism for having filmed part of his next movie,The Odyssey, in the city of Dakhla, located in Western Sahara, a disputed territory largely occupied by Morocco. Specifically, it has been denounced by the International Film Festival of Western Sahara (FiSahara), which is held in the Sahrawi refugee camps in Algeria. In one release, the organization states: "Dakhla is not just a beautiful place with cinematic sand dunes. Above all, it is an occupied and militarized city, and its indigenous Sahrawi population is subject to brutal repression by the Moroccan occupation forces. Nolan and his team must stop filming Dakhla."
Morocco considers this territory its region, Dakhla - Oued ed-Dahab. However, for the United Nations, it is a "non-autonomous" territory and pending decolonization since 1975, in which Spain has a significant historical and political involvement as a former colonial power. This is even more so after having made a shift in its foreign policy in March 2022, when the government of Pedro Sánchez broke with traditional neutrality and stated that it considers Morocco's autonomy proposal for Western Sahara "the most serious, credible, and realistic basis" for resolving the conflict. This position implies support de facto in Moroccan control over the territory.
Festival director María Carrión warned in the same statement that the filming contributes to "the normalization of the occupation" and "the exclusion of the Sahrawis themselves, who are unable to film their own stories about life under occupation." Sahrawi Arab Democratic from Exile. Ministry of Culture He called the filming a "dangerous form of cultural normalization of employment" and denounced it as an "unethical exploitation of art and cinema to whitewash a colonial situation."
Actor Javier Bardem, who has previously participated in FiSahara, has supported the criticism through social media, where he denounced that "Morocco has occupied Western Sahara for 50 years and has expelled the Sahrawi people from their cities," and has accused Western governments.
On the Moroccan side, the Moroccan Film Center has positively valued the filming of The Odyssey Nolan's. Its manager, Reda Benjelloun, told the local mediaMedias24Nolan's presence in Dakhla is "extremely important" and has highlighted the opportunities the region can offer to future foreign productions.
The OdysseyInspired by Homer's classic epic, the film stars Matt Damon, Tom Holland, Anne Hathaway, and Zendaya. The film has also filmed scenes in Greece, Italy, and other parts of Morocco, and is scheduled to hit theaters on July 17, 2026. Universal Pictures is producing.
