Christopher Nolan's ‘The Odyssey' Wades Into African Territorial Dispute
Nolan, who took home two Academy Awards for Oppenheimer in 2024, has chosen to film parts of The Odyssey in the desert landscape near Dakhla, an Atlantic city in Western Sahara. The area was recognized by US President Donald Trump as coming under Moroccan rule in 2020, opening up a wave of investment, development and tourism.
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3 hours ago
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Christopher Nolan ‘enabling colonialism by filming in Western Sahara'
Christopher Nolan has been accused of enabling colonialism by filming in Western Sahara. The 54-year-old British-American director is shooting parts of The Odyssey in Dakhla, in the disputed territory. The recreation of Homer's epic poem features Matt Damon, as the Greek hero Odysseus, as well as the Oscar winners Charlize Theron and Lupita Nyong'o. Filming took place in Dakhla this month. Scenes had already been shot in Essaouira, Marrakesh and Ouarzazate, in Morocco, as well as in Greece and Scotland. The North African state has long been a favourite filming destination for Hollywood directors. Lawrence of Arabia and Ridley Scott's Gladiator movies were shot there. Western Sahara has been claimed and occupied by Morocco since Spain gave up control of the territory in the 1970s. The decision to film in the disputed territory has prompted the Polisario Front, which claims to represent its indigenous inhabitants, to accuse the director of 'a clear violation of international law and ethical standards governing cultural and artistic work'. The organisers of the Sahara International Film Festival, which takes place in Polisario-controlled Sahrawi camps in Algeria, told The Times that Dakhla was 'not just a beautiful location with cinematic sand dunes' as they urged Nolan to stop filming in Western Sahara. They said: 'Primarily, it is an occupied, militarised city whose indigenous Sahrawi population is subject to brutal repression by occupying Moroccan forces.' María Carrión, the festival's director, said: 'By filming part of The Odyssey in an occupied territory billed as a 'news black hole' by Reporters without Borders, Nolan and his team, perhaps unknowingly and unwillingly, are contributing to the repression of the Sahrawi people by Morocco, and to the Moroccan regime's efforts to normalise its occupation of Western Sahara. 'We are sure that were they to understand the full implications of filming such a high-profile film in a territory whose indigenous peoples are unable to make their own films about their stories under occupation, Nolan and his team would be horrified.' Last month, Britain backed Morocco's claim to the territory after having refused to back either side for decades. It comes after Morocco won the backing of the United States, France, Spain and Portugal for its continued occupation of the largely desert territory. The Polisario Front abandoned a ceasefire with Morocco in 2020. Nolan and his film company Syncopy were contacted for comment by The Times. 'This is a production that is extremely important for Morocco,' Reda Benjelloun, who heads the Moroccan government agency in charge of promoting the film industry, previously told Bloomberg. 'It's the first major Hollywood production to choose the southern provinces.' Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more. Solve the daily Crossword
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6 hours ago
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Am I the Only One Who Wants 'The Devil Wears Prada 2' to Stop Spoiling the Costumes?
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. Surely I can't be the only moviegoer to opt out of watching trailers. To get me into an AMC, all I need is an elevator pitch: the cast list, the genre, the faintest sketch of the plot. The rest I'll digest with popcorn in hand and my eyes glued to the screen. When The Devil Wears Prada announced its highly-anticipated sequel, I obviously planned to ignore teasers in all forms. I was too young to see the 2006 original in theaters. This time around, I yearned to view Anne Hathaway in all her Chanel-clad glory up on the silver screen—not my phone screen. On July 21, however, The Devil Wears Prada 2 thwarted my plan. Without warning, Andy Sachs (a.k.a. Hathaway) appeared on my Instagram feed, dressed in Chanel dad sandals and a denim maxi skirt. This singular moment opened the costume floodgates, and now, the Prada-verse is all I see online. Paparazzi photographers and amateur TikTokers are busier than ever, prepped with their widest-lens cameras and cell phones to capture Hathaway, Emily Blunt, Meryl Streep, or all three back in action. Hathaway has been on set for less than a week, and already, she's been spotted in five Andy Sachs sets. That's at least a quarter of the movie (or a singular makeover montage set to Madonna's "Vogue"). One of her most viral looks so far was her first suit, a cross between Runway editor-in-chief Miranda Priestly's moody color palette in the first film and an Aritzia summer sale rack. In theory, her tailored waist coat, Golden Goose ankle boots, and vintage Coach bag didn't spoil the plot. It did confirm Andy's workwear aesthetic has taken a turn that aligns with her story. By the time it's projected on an 120-inch screen next May, I might be underwhelmed—because I know it's coming. A few hours later, my phone pinged again with another Hathaway sighting. Dressed in a $7,900 Gabriela Hearst gown, the Oscar winner seemingly gave away a major plot point: She's back at Runway. While en route to the Hampton Jitney bus, Andy was impossible to miss in multi-color beachwear, plus a Runway garment bag hanging from her carry-on suitcase. This confused thousands of fans online: At the end of the first film, after all, Andy quit her journalist job at the top-tier, yet toxic, publication. So, did you just toss your phone in the water fountain for fun, Andy? Or, did you realize Miranda was right—and everyone does, in fact, want this? I shouldn't be surprised paparazzi are posted up on every corner. Nearly twenty years have passed since the first movie and its cultural cachet has only grown in that time. (How many times have you recited the trickle-down cerulean speech? Exactly.) Photos of the set are in high demand, and each one sets off its own mini discourse about the brands the actors are wearing, the way they're styled, and what it all could possibly mean. Of course photographers are going the distance to snap a sneak peek. Some are even shooting through a 30-story high rise, which appears to be Runway magazine's new home. (Another spoiler sabotaged by paparazzi.) Still, in art and in life, nothing gets past Miranda Priestly. On July 23, Streep waved to photographers from one of the highest floors while she was in character. Another now-viral TikTok revealed Miranda, Andy, and Stanley Tucci's character, Nigel Kipling, are all working together again—on 6th Avenue, no less. There goes my dream of Andy launching her own magazine without an ounce of Miranda's input. The clip also included the name of a potential new publication: Adore. The title appeared on the office's large TV, while Hathaway smiled at fans in another never-before-seen white T-shirt, matching trousers, and a navy blue blazer. It's almost a rite of passage for New York City films to have their costumes photographed while the project is still in production. Last summer, Dakota Johnson's Materialists got the same paparazzi treatment. Marie Claire ID'ed every outfit months before the rom-com released in June 2025. However, the sartorial stakes weren't nearly as high for Materialists as they are for The Devil Wears Prada 2. Johnson's character, a high-profile matchmaker, dressed well enough, but fashion wasn't an integral part of the plot. By knowing who and what Miranda and Andy are wearing, we could be robbing ourselves of major gasps in the theater. A single garment bag seemingly answered the question we've been asking ourselves for two decades, after all. Since The Devil Wears Prada 2 is filming mostly in NYC, far away from 20th Century Studios' lot, hoping for zero spoilers appears to be a pipe dream. Even the studio itself shared Hathaway's first two outfits on Instagram. From now until May 1, 2026, however, I'll do my best to scroll past any more posts. I'm trying to preserve the integrity of cinema, people. And who knows? Maybe it was the cast's plan all along. Perhaps they're showing the laidback looks now and reserving more extravagant costumes for May 1. Besides, if Meryl Streep didn't want to be seen, the legend has the power of three Academy Awards to ensure she remained invisible. Was this was a ploy to get audiences talking? If so, congratulations. It worked. Solve the daily Crossword
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6 hours ago
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‘What The Hell Just Happened?' Pete Davidson Recalled The Wild Story Behind How An Eye-Related Shot In New Horror Movie Could Have Caused ‘Real Damage'
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. We've come a long way with movie magic. CGI technology and filmmaking techniques have made anything on the big screen possible. However, occasionally directors decide to go the practical route, as sometimes technology doesn't capture a moment the same way tangible effects do. This was the case in Pete Davidson's upcoming horror movie, The Home, where director James DeMonaco decided to use Davidson's actual eye for one of the freakest scenes in the film, and things almost got dangerous. The SNL alum recently sat down with Jimmy Fallon on The Tonight Show, and he talked about becoming a dad for the first time, as well as making The Home with the team that made The Purge. One of the scenes that is teased in the trailer features Davidson tied to a chair with a contraption holding his eye open, reminiscent of the famous eye scene in A Clockwork Orange. When the actor read the script, he naturally assumed that movie magic and new tech would be used to create this moment. He said: Obviously, I read the script and was like, 'That won't be my eye. This is the movies! It'll be a CGI eye.' If you can bring people back from the dead and put them in a movie, then that's not my eye. He has a great point. If movies can use motion capture to make actors into aliens for Avatar and dinosaurs come to life in Jurassic Park, they should realistically be able to digitally put Davidson's eye in a contraption just by using some green stickers and VFX post-production work. However, DeMonaco had other plans, and instead employed three doctors to be present while they actually put Davidson's eye in some monstrous contraption. The King of Staten Island star was understandably shocked by the idea, saying: So I get to set, and there's three doctors there, and they all look, you know, not – they're a little concerned. I'm like, 'What's going on?' and my buddy James [DeMonaco], the director, goes, 'They're here for your eye.' I was like, 'What do you mean?' Apparently, DeMonaco thought Davidson's eyes were just too distinctive to be recreated digitally, and the shot wouldn't be believable without using his actual eye. The whole thing became worse when Davidson's co-star had a hard time getting his lines right and made the situation go on longer than it should have. Eventually, one of the doctors had to step in to prevent any actual damage being done to their leading man's vision. The actor recalled: I heard, in the corner, one of the doctors went to the director and goes, 'Yeah, in about 30 more seconds there's gonna be some real damage.' So I take the thing off. I'm like squirting it with water and stuff. I'm like, 'What the hell just happened?' And then we're watching it in video village and the director goes, 'Yeah, it didn't have to be your eye.' Clearly, this was a case of a director being a little overzealous when it came to realism in movies. However, I do think the film benefits from Davidson telling this story, as it will likely make the scene even scarier knowing the actor's actual safety is at risk. This is some serious commitment from Davidson, who probably could have refused or asked for a double to be used. The 31-year-old might be new to the horror movie game, but he is seemingly all in and is ready to put himself in the hot seat for the sake of a good shot. It seems like this experience didn't sour things either, as the comedian has expressed interest in joining The Purge franchise. I'm here for this era, and I can't wait to see where he goes from here. You can see Pete Davidson in The Home when it hits the big screen on July 25, 2025. For more information on other exciting titles heading to the big screen this year, make sure to consult our 2025 movie schedule. Also, fans of the comedian should check out our feature on Davidson's best movies and TV shows, to see where else you can watch the actor.
