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Express Tribune
6 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
7 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.
Euronews
7 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Euronews
Why is Christopher Nolan's 'The Odyssey' shoot accused of colonialism?
Oscar-winning British-American director Christopher Nolan (The Dark Knight, Inception, Oppenheimer) has been accused of 'violating ethical standards' by the organisers of the Western Sahara International Film Festival (FiSahara). Nolan has been shooting part of his upcoming film The Odyssey, an adaptation of Homer's ancient Greek epic poem starring Matt Damon, Charlize Theron and Zendaya, in the Western Saharan coastal city of Dakhla, which has been under Moroccan occupation for 50 years. The organisers of FiSahara have warned that this move on Nolan's behalf could serve to normalise decades of repression and help whitewash the Moroccan occupation. '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, FiSahara'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.' Western Sahara is a disputed territory and is classified as 'non-self-governing' by the United Nations. Home to the Indigenous Sahrawi people, it is the last remaining African colonial state to achieve independence with Morocco still claiming control over the majority of its land. Amnesty International said in a recent report 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'. 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'. Une publication partagée par Javier Bardem (@bardemantarctic) Actor Javier Bardem, who has appeared at FiSahara in the past, posted the festival's statement on his Instagram with the caption: 'For 50 years, Morocco has occupied Western Sahara, expelling the Sahrawi people from their cities. Dakhla is one of them, converted by the Moroccan occupiers into a tourist destination and now a film set, always with the aim of erasing the Sahrawi identity of the city. Another illegal occupation, another repression against a people, the Sahrawi, unjustly plundered with the approval of Western governments, including the Spanish. #FreeSaharaNow.' Nolan has yet to comment. The Odyssey has a budget of $250 million - the most expensive film of Nolan's career – and is shot entirely using Imax cameras, making it the first film to do so. It is set for a theatrical release on 17 July 2026.
Time of India
7 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Christopher Nolan's 'The Odyssey' faces backlash for filming in Western Sahara
Oscar-winning director Christopher Nolan is facing criticism for filming parts of his upcoming film "The Odyssey" in the Western Sahara, 70% of which is occupied by Morocco, reported Variety. Nolan reportedly filmed in Moroccan-controlled Dakhla According to the outlet, the director recently spent four days filming in the highly anticipated historical film starring Matt Damon , Tom Holland , Anne Hathaway, Zendaya and more in the city of Dakhla, which has been deemed the capital of the Moroccan administrative region of Dakhla-Oued Ed-Dahab. Western Sahara recognised as disputed territory Western Sahara is a disputed territory and is classified as "non-self-governing" by the United Nations. Home to the Indigenous Sahrawi people, it's the last remaining African colonial state to achieve independence, with Morocco still claiming control over the majority of its land, reported Variety. However, a Morocco-proposed plan giving Western Sahara autonomy but Morocco ultimate sovereignty -- similar to Spain's relationship to the Canary Islands and Basque Country -- picked up steam last year with the support of the U.S., U.K. and France, reported Variety. Sahrawi film festival issued protest statement Last week, after the shoot had wrapped in the region, the Western Sahara International Film Festival (aka FiSahara) -- which takes place in Sahrawi refugee camps in Algeria -- put out a statement urging Nolan to stop production. "Dakhla is not just a beautiful place with cinematic sand dunes. First and foremost, it is an occupied and militarized city whose Indigenous Sahrawi population is subjected to brutal repression by the Moroccan occupation forces," the festival said, adding that the production should "stop filming in Dakhla and 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," reported Variety. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Is this legal? Access all TV channels without a subscription! Techno Mag Learn More Undo Moroccan official welcomed the Hollywood production On the other hand, Reda Benjelloun of the Moroccan Cinematographic Centre told a local outlet, Medias24, last week that the production filming in Dakhla is "extremely important," marking the first major Hollywood production to do so. "Dakhla will indeed offer extraordinary opportunities in the future to foreign productions ... which will find geography very different from other regions of Morocco," said Benjelloun as quoted by Variety. 'The Odyssey,' which adapts Homer's ancient Greek epic poem for the big screen, has also filmed in Morocco, Greece and Italy. It's set for a theatrical release from Universal on July 17, 2026, with early tickets already selling out for screenings.
The Hindu
9 hours ago
- Entertainment
- The Hindu
Christopher Nolan faces backlash for filming ‘The Odyssey' in occupied Western Sahara
Christopher Nolan's upcoming historical epic The Odyssey is under scrutiny following reports that the production filmed part of the movie in Dakhla, a city located in Western Sahara — a territory 70% occupied by Morocco. The region remains classified by the United Nations as 'non-self-governing,' and has long been the subject of a territorial dispute between Morocco and the Indigenous Sahrawi people. Nolan, who spent four days filming in Dakhla, has been criticised by human rights groups and cultural advocates for inadvertently aligning with Morocco's ongoing control of the region. The Western Sahara International Film Festival (FiSahara), which operates out of Sahrawi refugee camps in Algeria, issued a public appeal to Nolan to halt any further production activities in Dakhla and take a stand against what they describe as 'military occupation.' 'Dakhla is not just a beautiful place with cinematic sand dunes,' read the statement from FiSahara. 'It is an occupied and militarised city whose Indigenous Sahrawi population is subjected to brutal repression.' The festival urged Nolan's team to reconsider their participation in what they see as the cultural normalisation of an unresolved colonial situation. Festival director María Carrión stated that by filming in a region where local Sahrawi voices are systematically silenced, Nolan and his crew may be unintentionally complicit in suppressing the very stories the Sahrawi people are unable to tell. 'We're sure that if they understood the full implications… they would be horrified,' she said. Actor Javier Bardem, who has previously supported the Sahrawi cause, amplified FiSahara's message on social media, calling attention to the erasure of Sahrawi identity and the broader role Western governments play in supporting the Moroccan occupation. Meanwhile, the Moroccan Cinematographic Center has welcomed the project, with director Reda Benjelloun calling the shoot in Dakhla 'extremely important' and expressing hope it will boost future foreign film production in the region. The Odyssey, starring Matt Damon, Zendaya, Anne Hathaway, and Tom Holland, is slated for a global release on July 17, 2026. It has also been filmed in Italy, Greece, and other parts of Morocco. Universal Pictures is distributing the film.
