Latest news with #PolisarioFront
Muscat Daily
2 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Muscat Daily
Odyssey filming ignites backlash for Christopher Nolan
Dakhla- There's a first-time for everything, including the Oscar-winning director behind the Batman: Dark Knight trilogy and the Oppenheimer movie. It's the first time he's directing a story as historic and well-known as The Odyssey and it's the first time he's faced such enormous backlash for his project as he's shooting the scenes for the upcoming movie. Set to release on July 17 2026, Christopher Nolan and his film-crew already began filming the project in various locations across Europe and Africa. One such location they some scenes was the city of Dakhla. The city is located in the region of Western Sahara and is largely occupied by Morocco, despite the fact that the region is often considered as a non-self-governing territory by organisations such as the United Nations. After filming some of the movie's scenes in the city for around four days, the film crew has already faced the heat against residents, including the organisers of the Western Sahara Film Festival (FiSahara). Protestors continue to stand against Mr. Nolan's production, urging the Hollywood team to stop shooting there by highlighting their contribution to 'Morocco's repression of Sahrawi people'. FiSahara added— 'Dakhla is not just a beautiful place with cinematic sand dunes. First and foremost, it is an occupied and militarised city,' Reminding everyone of the continuous oppression the locals face from Morocco, forcing users to face the fact that Hollywood's continuous filming in Western Sahara, whether intentional or not, is seen by locals as support for Morocco's ongoing oppression of the city. Famous actor Javier Bardem reposted FiSahara's statement on Instagram, adding fuel to the fire by drawing attention to the consequences of Nolan's actions online. The backlash spread so far that the Polisario Front's Ministry of Culture stepped in, raising concerns about the production becoming 'a dangerous form of cultural normalization' if they don't stop filming there. Amidst the controversy, Nolan and Universal Pictures still seem to receive lots of support from Moroccan residents. Reda Benjelloun of the Moroccan Cinematographic Center praised the decision to film in the city, calling it a potential 'future hub of international productions' for increasing its global visibility. While the film team has yet to respond, a statement is expected soon.
Express Tribune
4 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Express Tribune
Christopher Nolan faces backlash for filming ‘The Odyssey' in occupied Western Sahara
Christopher Nolan is under fire for filming scenes from his upcoming epic The Odyssey in Western Sahara, a region largely occupied by Morocco and considered a non-self-governing territory by the United Nations. Nolan spent four days shooting in Dakhla, a city described as both a strategic Moroccan site and a contested zone within the long-standing Sahrawi independence struggle. The production has drawn criticism from the Western Sahara International Film Festival (FiSahara), which stated that filming in Dakhla contributes to 'Morocco's repression of the Sahrawi people.' 'Dakhla is not just a beautiful place with cinematic sand dunes. First and foremost, it is an occupied and militarised city,' FiSahara wrote. Festival director María Carrión added that the production, whether intentional or not, supports 'cultural normalisation with the occupation.' The cast of The Odyssey includes Matt Damon, Tom Holland, Anne Hathaway and Zendaya. The film, which adapts Homer's classic tale, has also filmed in Greece, Italy and other parts of Morocco. Actor Javier Bardem reposted FiSahara's statement on Instagram, criticising the shoot and calling for the liberation of Western Sahara. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Culture of the Polisario Front called the production 'a dangerous form of cultural normalisation.' Universal Pictures and Nolan have not yet responded to the controversy. However, Reda Benjelloun of the Moroccan Cinematographic Center praised the project, calling Dakhla 'a future hub for international productions.' The Odyssey is scheduled for release on July 17, 2026 with early ticket sales already underway.
Time of India
5 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Time of India
The Moroccan Sahara will bloom: Christopher Nolan's filming in Dakhla puts the seal of approval to the region's development and future
Christopher Nolan's latest production 'The Odyssey' is facing some criticism because a part of it was shot in the Moroccan Sahara city of Dakhla. The protests are coming from so-called Sahrawi activists and FiSahara, which organises a movie festival in the Sahrawi refugee camps in Algeria's Tindouf region. The same camps from which there have been reports of gross human rights violations, diversion of aid and rioting. This is because the separatist Polisario Front that runs the camps with Algeria's support virtually treats them like prisons. Till date the Polsario has refused to conduct a census in these camps despite being repeatedly urged to do so. The point here is that the Moroccan Sahara issue – which is a leftover baggage from Morocco's colonial history – continues to be used by external forces for their own vested interests. And in this process, these external actors completely eschew facts. For example, they will not tell you that 19th century European colonial powers had hived off the Moroccan Sahara from Morocco proper. In fact, Spain and France actually had through their own arrangement created their own spheres of influence in Morocco. They will also not tell you that when Morocco became independent in 1956 it vowed to recover its Sahara provinces which were still under Spanish colonial control. In fact, the speech of Morocco's erstwhile monarch, King Mohammed V, grandfather of current King Mohammed VI, at M'hamid al-Ghizlan in 1958 saw him pledge to the Sahrawi tribal chiefs that he would work to recover the Sahara in keeping with Morocco's historical rights. Recall also that in 1963 Morocco itself brought the Sahara issue to the UN, asking the international body to recognise the Sahara as a non-governing territory to be decolonised by Spain. Then there is the selective amnesia of the 1963 Sand War between Morocco and Algeria. It was due to this conflict that Algeria adopted a strategy of hemming in Morocco through asymmetric means. The latter included supporting, arming and funding a separatist Sahrawi group called the Polisario Front. The Polisario simply wouldn't have sustained without Algeria's material and diplomatic backing. And it was solely to undermine Morocco that the Polisario was egged on by Algeria to carry out an armed struggle against Rabat under the guise of seeking independence for the Sahara. A UN brokered ceasefire between the two sides in 1991 also lays bares Polisario's duplicity. It has never created the conditions for a referendum nor taken care of the refugees in its Tindouf camps. Ideally, Polisario should release the inmates in those camps. The Polisario leadership has simply been pawns in Algiers' hands. And yet they continue to wear the garb of 'independence'. The Moroccan Sahara provinces are legally and historically Moroccan. The 1975 Madrid Accords divided the Moroccan Sahara between Morocco and Mauritania. But Mauritania gave up its claims in 1979, leaving only Morocco's legitimate claims intact. Since then Morocco, under King Mohammed VI, whose Throne Day is today (July 30), has proposed an Autonomy Plan for the Sahara which devolves significant political powers to the region but under Moroccan sovereignty. The plan has growing international support with the US officially declaring it as the only solution to the Sahara issue under Moroccan sovereignty. Similarly, both France and Spain are now onboard with the Autonomy Plan. Portugal too recently reiterated its support for Rabat's position and the UK has called the plan credible. In turn, Morocco has made huge investments in the Sahara provinces to develop local economy, tourism, agriculture and fisheries. Many countries already have their consulates in Sahara cities. And Dakhla where Nolan was shooting is a hot tourism destination for European travellers. Taken together, Morocco's position on the Moroccan Sahara is clear and transparent. The manipulations are being carried out by Algeria and Polisario. Nolan should be applauded for filming in Dakhla. Hopefully it will open the door to more Hollywood and European productions in the region. A minority of people must not be allowed to hold the future of the Moroccan Sahara hostage. Facebook Twitter Linkedin Email Disclaimer Views expressed above are the author's own.
Reuters
15 hours ago
- Business
- Reuters
Morocco's king calls for addressing regional inequalities
RABAT, July 29 (Reuters) - Morocco's King Mohammed VI urged on Tuesday the government to elaborate a new generation of reforms to ensure equal development between the country's regions. "It is not acceptable for Morocco – today or at any time in the future – to be a two-speed country," the king, who has final say over the country's strategic policies, said in an annual speech marking 26 years of his reign. While the level of poverty has dropped in Morocco from 11.9% in 2014 to 6.8% in 2024, some inner regions show above-average poverty levels, according to the national statistics agency. Morocco has attracted industrial investments in sectors such as aerospace and car manufacturing, which now top its exports. However, most of the country's GDP, industry and critical infrastructure are concentrated in the northwestern areas, leaving the rest of Morocco dependent on farming, fisheries and tourism. "Some regions - particularly in rural areas - are still suffering from poverty and vulnerability, due to a lack of infrastructure and basic facilities," the king said. The new reforms should aim at improving social services, education, health care and water management as well as promoting employment, he said. Morocco created just 82,000 jobs last year, which falls short of reducing the country's high unemployment rate at 13.3%, according to the central bank. In his speech, the king also reaffirmed Morocco's readiness for "a frank, responsible, fraternal and sincere dialogue on the various issues pending" with Algeria. Algeria cut ties with Morocco in 2021, halted the flow of gas, banned Moroccan flights from crossing its airspace and imposed visas on Moroccans, after the kingdom resumed ties with Israel. The two most populous countries in the Maghreb are at loggerheads over the status of Western Sahara. Morocco considers the territory its own, while Algeria hosts and backs the Polisario Front, which seeks its own state there. The king also thanked the UK and Portugal, the most recent Western nations to back Morocco's autonomy plan for the territory.
Ya Biladi
2 days ago
- Politics
- Ya Biladi
Sahara : Polisario secures gains at South Africa summit
The Polisario Front made significant gains at the recent edition of the « liberation movements » summit, hosted in South Africa by the African National Congress (ANC). On Sunday, July 27, Mohamed Yeslem Beissat, the Front's representative at the event, engaged in discussions with the presidents of South Africa, Namibia, Zimbabwe, and Mozambique. These nations, alongside Algeria, represent the remaining steadfast allies of the Polisario Front in Africa. During the summit, the four heads of state reiterated their commitment to supporting «the Sahrawi people's right to self-determination» and the «organization of a referendum» in the Sahara through their speeches. Just two days prior, South Africa, Zimbabwe, Namibia, and Mozambique successfully rallied the entire regional bloc to endorse a memorandum of cooperation signed on April 2 with the Polisario during a meeting of the SADC (Southern African Development Community) foreign ministers in Tanzania. This backing for the separatist movement's stance comes nearly two weeks after former South African President Jacob Zuma voiced his support for Morocco's sovereignty over Western Sahara while in Rabat.
