Latest news with #Dakhla
Daily Mail
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Dark Knight director Christopher Nolan is accused of 'enabling colonialism' as new film shot in war-torn Western Sahara
Christopher Nolan has been accused of 'enabling colonialism' after filming in a highly disputed part of Western Sahara. The Dark Knight director, 54, has been shooting scenes for his new movie The Odyssey in the disputed area of Dakhla. Filming for his recreation of Homer's epic poem, starring Matt Damon, Charlize Theron and Lupita Nyong'o, took place this month with actors snapped on set. Other scenes have also been shot in the Moroccan cities of Essaouira, Marrakesh and Ouarzazate, as well as Greece and Scotland, with other members of the star-studded cast seen on set, including Tom Holland and Zendaya. However, it was the crews time in the small city of Dakhla that angered the Polisario Front, a liberation movement which claims to represent its indigenous inhabitants. Western Sahara has been occupied by Morocco since the 1970s when Spain gave up control of the territory, but the Polisario Front continue to seek independence for the region. Nolan's decision to film in Dakhla has prompted the Polisario Front to accuse him of 'a clear violation of international law and ethical standards governing cultural and artistic work'. 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'. They added: 'Primarily, it is an occupied, militarised city whose indigenous Sahrawi population is subject to brutal repression by occupying Moroccan forces.' Festival Director María Carrión 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.' The UN and most countries do not recognise Morocco's sovereignty over Western Sahara, viewing it as a disputed territory. Meanwhile, Britain last week backed Morocco's claim on the mostly desert land having refused to take a side for decades. Morocco also previously won the backing of the US, France, Spain and Portugal for its occupation. In March, film crews were also spotted in the Moroccan village of Aït Benhaddou as cast members and extras flooded the area, including Christopher Nolan himself. The ancient Moroccan region is no stranger to A-listers and has also featured in the likes of Gladiator II and Game Of Thrones. On December 26, The InSneider reported that The Odyssey will have a $250M budget, making it 'the most expensive film' of 54-year-old Nolan's career. Oscar winner Anne Hathaway is rumored to be playing Odysseus' wife, Queen of Ithica Penelope, whom he's eager to reunite with following a perilous journey back home. Rumour has it that Tom Holland - whose famous fiancée Zendaya also plays a mystery role - will take on the part of Odysseus' son Telemachus. And Oscar winner Charlize Theron is said to be playing the witch goddess Circe in the 3K-year-old fantastical tale full of sirens and a cyclops. The cast of high-profile actors also includes Robert Pattinson, Jon Bernthal, Benny Safdie, John Leguizamo, Elliot Page, Samantha Morton, Will Yun Lee, and Mia Goth. The Odyssey was last memorably adapted for the silver screen by the Coen Brothers in their 2000 satirical musical O Brother, Where Art Thou? starring George Clooney.
The Guardian
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Christopher Nolan criticised for filming in occupied Western Sahara city
The organisers of the Western Sahara international film festival (FiSahara) have criticised Christopher Nolan for shooting part of his adaptation of the Odyssey in a Western Saharan city that has been under Moroccan occupation for 50 years, warning the move could serve to normalise decades of repression. The British-American film-maker's take on Homer's epic, which stars Matt Damon, Charlize Theron, Zendaya, Lupita Nyong'o and Anne Hathaway, is due to be released on 17 July 2026. According to the Hollywood studio Universal, which is backing the project, the film will be 'a mythic action epic shot across the world' made 'using brand new Imax film technology'. But the decision to film in the Western Saharan coastal city of Dakhla has provoked fierce criticism from Sahrawi activists and those who were forced to live under occupation or to go into exile after Morocco annexed the country following the withdrawal of its former colonial power, Spain, in 1976. The UN classifies Western Sahara as a 'non-self-governing territory'. In a report last year, the UN secretary-general noted that the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) had not been granted access to the territory since 2015, adding that OHCHR 'continued to receive allegations relating to human rights violations, including intimidation, surveillance and discrimination against Sahrawi individuals particularly when advocating for self-determination'. In its most recent country report, Amnesty International said that the 'authorities continued to restrict dissent and the rights to freedom of association and peaceful assembly in Western Sahara'. Reporters Without Borders has described Western Sahara as a 'desert for journalists' and said that 'torture, arrests, physical abuse, persecution, intimidation, harassment, slander, defamation, technological sabotage, and lengthy prison sentences are daily fare for Sahrawi journalists'. Last month the UK suggested it supported a proposal for Western Sahara to remain under Rabat's sovereignty but with a degree of self-rule. FiSahara's organisers say the recent presence of Nolan's high-profile cast and crew in Dakhla will help whitewash the Moroccan occupation and normalise the repression. The festival's directors said that while Dakhla was 'a beautiful location with cinematic sand dunes', it was, 'first and foremost … an occupied and militarised city whose indigenous Sahrawi population is subjected to brutal repression' by Moroccan occupation forces. 'By filming part of The Odyssey in an occupied territory … Nolan and his team, perhaps unknowingly and unwittingly, are contributing to Morocco's repression of the Sahrawi people and to the Moroccan regime's efforts to normalise its occupation of Western Sahara,' said María Carrión, the festival's executive director. 'We are sure that if they understood the full implications of filming a high-profile film in a territory whose Indigenous peoples cannot make their own films about their stories under occupation, Nolan and his team would be horrified.' FiSahara said it was calling on Nolan and his crew and cast to 'stand in solidarity with the Sahrawi people who have been under military occupation for 50 years and who are routinely imprisoned and tortured for their peaceful struggle for self-determination'. Carrión said Morocco was keen to control how its occupation was perceived abroad, and used tourism and culture to project a distorted view of life in Western Sahara. 'Morocco only allows entry into occupied Western Sahara to those who fit its strategy of selling its occupation to the outside world,' she said. 'Tourists who go to Moroccan-built and -owned resorts to practise kitesurfing, companies willing to participate in its plundering of natural resources, journalists willing to toe its line, and high-profile visitors like Nolan and his team who help Morocco sell the narrative that Western Sahara is part of Morocco and that the Sahrawis are content to live under its rule are given the red carpet treatment.' But she said Amnesty International, the UN commissioner for human rights, and 'the hundreds of journalists and observers who have been barred or deported from the territory' would tell 'a very different story'. The Guardian has contacted Nolan's representatives for a response, but the director has yet to comment. FiSahara, which was founded in 2004, is held in Sahrawi refugee camps in the Algerian desert. Labelled 'the Cannes of the desert', it aims to use film to 'entertain, convey knowledge and empower refugees from the Western Sahara'.
The Guardian
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Christopher Nolan criticised for filming in occupied Western Sahara city
The organisers of the Western Sahara international film festival (FiSahara) have criticised Christopher Nolan for shooting part of his adaptation of the Odyssey in a Western Saharan city that has been under Moroccan occupation for 50 years, warning the move could serve to normalise decades of repression. The British-American film-maker's take on Homer's epic, which stars Matt Damon, Charlize Theron, Zendaya, Lupita Nyong'o and Anne Hathaway, is due to be released on 17 July 2026. According to the Hollywood studio Universal, which is backing the project, the film will be 'a mythic action epic shot across the world' made 'using brand new Imax film technology'. But the decision to film in the Western Saharan coastal city of Dakhla has provoked fierce criticism from Sahrawi activists and those who were forced to live under occupation or to go into exile after Morocco annexed the country following the withdrawal of its former colonial power, Spain, in 1976. The UN classifies Western Sahara as a 'non-self-governing territory'. In a report last year, the UN secretary-general noted that the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) had not been granted access to the territory since 2015, adding that OHCHR 'continued to receive allegations relating to human rights violations, including intimidation, surveillance and discrimination against Sahrawi individuals particularly when advocating for self-determination'. In its most recent country report, Amnesty International said that the 'authorities continued to restrict dissent and the rights to freedom of association and peaceful assembly in Western Sahara'. Reporters Without Borders has described Western Sahara as a 'desert for journalists' and said that 'torture, arrests, physical abuse, persecution, intimidation, harassment, slander, defamation, technological sabotage, and lengthy prison sentences are daily fare for Sahrawi journalists'. Last month the UK suggested it supported a proposal for Western Sahara to remain under Rabat's sovereignty but with a degree of self-rule. FiSahara's organisers say the recent presence of Nolan's high-profile cast and crew in Dakhla will help whitewash the Moroccan occupation and normalise the repression. The festival's directors said that while Dakhla was 'a beautiful location with cinematic sand dunes', it was, 'first and foremost … an occupied and militarised city whose indigenous Sahrawi population is subjected to brutal repression' by Moroccan occupation forces. 'By filming part of The Odyssey in an occupied territory … Nolan and his team, perhaps unknowingly and unwittingly, are contributing to Morocco's repression of the Sahrawi people and to the Moroccan regime's efforts to normalise its occupation of Western Sahara,' said María Carrión, the festival's executive director. 'We are sure that if they understood the full implications of filming a high-profile film in a territory whose Indigenous peoples cannot make their own films about their stories under occupation, Nolan and his team would be horrified.' FiSahara said it was calling on Nolan and his crew and cast to 'stand in solidarity with the Sahrawi people who have been under military occupation for 50 years and who are routinely imprisoned and tortured for their peaceful struggle for self-determination'. Carrión said Morocco was keen to control how its occupation was perceived abroad, and used tourism and culture to project a distorted view of life in Western Sahara. 'Morocco only allows entry into occupied Western Sahara to those who fit its strategy of selling its occupation to the outside world,' she said. 'Tourists who go to Moroccan-built and -owned resorts to practise kitesurfing, companies willing to participate in its plundering of natural resources, journalists willing to toe its line, and high-profile visitors like Nolan and his team who help Morocco sell the narrative that Western Sahara is part of Morocco and that the Sahrawis are content to live under its rule are given the red carpet treatment.' But she said Amnesty International, the UN commissioner for human rights, and 'the hundreds of journalists and observers who have been barred or deported from the territory' would tell 'a very different story'. The Guardian has contacted Nolan's representatives for a response, but the director has yet to comment. FiSahara, which was founded in 2004, is held in Sahrawi refugee camps in the Algerian desert. Labelled 'the Cannes of the desert', it aims to use film to 'entertain, convey knowledge and empower refugees from the Western Sahara'.
Bloomberg
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Bloomberg
Christopher Nolan's ‘The Odyssey' Wades Into African Territorial Dispute
Oscar-winning director Christopher Nolan's upcoming movie is sparking controversy in North Africa, with the decision to shoot some scenes in a long-disputed territory incurring the ire of a rebel group fighting for independence. 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.
CNA
09-07-2025
- Business
- CNA
Morocco to build data centre powered by renewable energy
RABAT :Morocco plans to build a 500 megawatt data centre powered by renewable energy to strengthen security of data storage, its digital transition minister said. The centre will be located in Dakhla, in Western Sahara, Amal El Fallah Seghrouchni told Reuters, without giving details on the timeline or cost. Several countries are building such centres to ensure that sensitive data can be stored and processed within national borders. These centres can be owned or operated by state-owned or private companies while ensuring that data remains under the legal jurisdiction of the host country. Morocco launched its first such centre at the Mohammed VI Polytechnic University. It has been offering cloud hosting services to local public and private organisations, since January. "Through this network of data centres, the kingdom not only asserts its digital sovereignty, but also its ambition to become a regional digital hub serving Africa,' Seghrouchni said. Morocco plans to invest 11 billion dirhams ($1.22 billion) on its digital modernisation strategy over 2024-2026, which includes artificial intelligence and expanding fibre optic deployment.
