Latest news with #TheOdyssey
CBC
an hour ago
- Entertainment
- CBC
Director Christopher Nolan criticized for filming The Odyssey in disputed Western Sahara
Social Sharing Revered Hollywood director Christopher Nolan's next summer blockbuster won't hit theatres until July 17, 2026, and it's already setting precedents — and courting controversy. The man behind box office hits like Oppenheimer and Inception is currently filming a big-screen version of Homer's post-Trojan War epic The Odyssey, starring Matt Damon, Tom Holland, Anne Hathaway, Zendaya, Lupita Nyong'o and Charlize Theron. Tickets for IMAX 70mm screenings of the $250-million US movie already sold out earlier this month, a full year before its release. It's the first commercial production to be filmed entirely with IMAX cameras. While all of this makes the film buzzworthy, Nolan and The Odyssey are coming under fire for filming scenes in the disputed territory of Western Sahara, which Morocco has occupied for the past 50 years and, according to human rights groups, has cracked down on dissent, limits press freedom and restricts entry to foreign journalists and observers. The organizers of Western Sahara International Film Festival (FiSahara) are leading calls for Nolan and his cast to suspend production in the territory, arguing that Morocco subjects the Sahrawi people to "brutal repression" and normalizes the occupation of what's often referred to as"Africa's last colony." "We are sure that were they to understand the full implications of filming such as 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," read a statement from FiSahara. What's the criticism for filming in Western Sahara? FiSahara says that Moroccan media reported Nolan and stars Damon and Zendaya were spotted arriving in the southern coastal city of Dakhla earlier this month. The English-language website Hespress was among those reporting the production moved to Western Sahara after filming in Morocco. Festival executive director Maria Carrión says that by filming in the territory they are "perhaps unknowingly and unwillingly" adding to "the repression of the Sahrawi people by Morocco." Amnesty International has condemned Morocco for "violently" breaking up a demonstration by Sahrawi women activists in early 2024 and destroying the homes of a dozen Sahrawi families in April of that year. The UN Office for the High Commissioner for Human Rights said in 2024 it "continued to receive allegations relating to human rights violations, including intimidation, surveillance and discrimination against Sahrawi individuals particularly when advocating for self-determination." Reporters Without Borders once referred to Moroccan-occupied Western Sahara as "a veritable news black hole that has become a no-go zone for journalists." Neither Nolan nor the studio, Universal Pictures, have reacted publicly to calls to move the production. WATCH | Christopher Nolan's Oppenheimer wins big at 2024 Academy Awards: Huge night for Oppenheimer at the 96th Oscars 1 year ago What's the history of Western Sahara? The territory, stretching more than 1,100 kilometres along the Atlantic coast of northern Africa, is sandwiched between Morocco to the north and Mauritania to the south and much of the east, with a sliver of land in the northeast bordering Algeria. Morocco invaded and annexed Western Sahara, which the United Nations refers to as a "non-self-governing territory," after Spanish colonial rule came to an end in 1975, sparking a 16-year war with the militarized Polisario Front, which attempted to declare independence for what it calls the Sahrawi Democratic Arab Republic. During the 1980s, Morocco constructed a 2,700-kilometre sand wall across the desert to prevent Polisario Front attacks and keep the independence movement restricted to a small eastern stretch of the territory. The area around the barrier is heavily surrounded with landmines. The United Nations brokered a ceasefire in 1991, which included a promise to hold a referendum on Sahrawi self-determination, but that has yet to happen more than 40 years later. Today, Western Sahara remains sparsely populated, with an estimated 612,000 people spread out over the 266,000 square-kilometre territory. But the United Nations refugee agency estimates there are more than 173,000 Sahrawis living in five refugee camps in Algeria — one of which is named Dakhla, after the very city where The Odyssey is said to be filming. The Polisario Front declared an end to its ceasefire with Morocco in November 2020. The following month, Morocco signed onto the first Trump administration's Abraham Accords, normalizing its relations with Israel on the condition that the U.S. recognize Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara. Israel made the same recognition in 2023, while Spain, France, the United Kingdom and most recently Portugal have backed Morocco's pitch to recognize the territory as an autonomous region under its control. Why is filming foreign movies there a problem? Nolan, who has also filmed scenes for The Odyssey in Scotland, Ireland and Greece, isn't the first to take a production to the Western Sahara. Scenes in the second season of the Amazon series The Wheel of Time were also said to have been filmed around Dakhla sometime between July 2021 and May 2022. And there are efforts to lure others there. The website for Emerge Film Solutions, which describes itself as a "global network of specialized locally bases content producers, fixers, and camera crews," billed Western Sahara as "one of the most remote feeling film locations in the world." But FiSahara says Sahrawi filmmakers can't even tell their own stories without fear of repercussions. "Sahrawis trying to make films about their lives are persecuted and must work clandestinely and at great risk to themselves and their families," the organizers said in their statement. FiSahara itself is held in the refugee camps inside Algeria, where it screens human rights documentaries. Meanwhile Morocco has created its own Dakhla International Film Festival, the second edition of which was held in June. Sahrawi journalist and filmmaker Mamine Hachimi, who co-directed the documentary Three Stolen Cameras about a video activist group documenting human rights violations Western Sahara, told Middle East Eye that he, too, was urging Nolan and his stars to "understand the political ramifications" of filming in the territory. "Art should defy injustice, not perpetuate it," he said.
Cosmopolitan
an hour ago
- Entertainment
- Cosmopolitan
Law Roach Gives Update on Zendaya and Tom Holland's Wedding
Zendaya and Tom Holland have always kept their relationship (mostly) out of the spotlight. They've only walked a handful of red carpets together, rarely pose for photos as a couple, and had the most casually glamorous engagement announcement of all time. Needless to say, I doubt we'll be hearing much about their upcoming wedding—but thanks to their Zendaya's longtime stylist and friend Law Roach, fans finally have a Zendaya and Tom Holland wedding update. Before you do too much rejoicing, however, you should know that the update there is no update. 'The process hasn't even started yet,' Law told E! News when asked about the wedding. 'Zendaya is working on so many movies. She's now filming the next iteration of Dune, so she's away doing that. It's so many movies, so we have time. We have a lot of time.' Given Law's wedding update, it sounds like Zendaya and Tom are either planning a long engagement, keeping their wedding plans super under wraps, or getting married soon and using Law to keep the press away—three entirely plausible options. And to be fair to the couple, if there's one thing that we know for sure, it's that they are both booked and busy. As Law mentioned, Zendaya is currently in Europe filming Dune: Part Three, and in the coming year she'll be promoting Shrek 5, Euphoria season 3, and The Odyssey, in which Tom also stars. And on top of that, they'll both be back on set together to film Spider-Man: Brand New Day, currently in pre-production. Okay, so no big wedding anytime soon. But what about the dress? Asked what kind of bride Zendaya might be, Law responded, 'a secret bride.' Clearly, Z's longtime stylist knows how to keep a secret, so don't expect any wedding details from him. He did, however, gush over the couple. 'I'm really excited because I know that they really love each other and they have for a really long time,' he told E! News. 'The fact that the world has been able to share in that love story, I think it's really beautiful.'
India Today
3 hours ago
- Entertainment
- India Today
Christopher Nolan faces backlash for filming The Odyssey in disputed Western Sahara
Director Christopher Nolan has drawn criticism for filming certain portions of his upcoming epic-drama 'The Odyssey' in the Western Sahara. He has sparked controversy as 70% of the region is occupied by has shot the movie in the city of Dakhla, which has been deemed the capital of the Moroccan administrative region of Dakhla-Oued Ed-Dahab, as reported by Variety. Western Sahara is considered a disputed territory which has been classified as "non-self-governing" by the United Nations. The 'The Odyssey' director has come under scrutiny since the region is home to the Indigenous Sahrawi people. Western Sahara is the last remaining African colonial state to achieve independence, with Morocco still claiming control over the majority of its to the Variety report, the Western Sahara International Film Festival (aka FiSahara) — which takes place in Sahrawi refugee camps in Algeria — put out a statement urging Nolan to halt production in the region. The festival's statement read, "Dakhla is not just a beautiful place with cinematic sand dunes. First and foremost, it is an occupied and militarised city whose Indigenous Sahrawi population is subjected to brutal repression by the Moroccan occupation forces." The statement further stated 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."The festival director, Mara Carrin, further said, "By filming part of 'The Odyssey' in an occupied territory classified as a 'journalistic desert' by Reporters Without Borders, Nolan and his team, perhaps 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. We're sure that if they understood the full implications of filming a high-profile movie 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."Actor Javier Bardem, who had appeared at FiSahara in the past, posted the festival's statement on his Instagram handle. His caption read, "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. Free Sahara Now (sic)."The Ministry of Culture of the Polisario Front, the nationalist Sahrawi group seeking to end the occupation through armed resistance, also issued a statement. It read, "This act constitutes a dangerous form of cultural normalisation with the occupation, and an unethical exploitation of art and cinema to whitewash the image of a colonial situation that is still imposed by force and met daily with the steadfast resistance of a people struggling for freedom and dignity."However, Reda Benjelloun of the Moroccan Cinematographic Center told a local outlet, Medias24, last week that the production filming in Dakhla is "extremely important." He argued that this marks 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," he Odyssey', is adapted from Homer's ancient Greek epic poem has also been filmed in Morocco, Greece and Italy. It features Matt Damon, Tom Holland, Anne Hathaway, Zendaya and others in key movie is set for a theatrical release on July 17, 2026.- EndsTrending Reel
The Independent
5 hours ago
- Entertainment
- The Independent
Why Chris Nolan could halt filming of The Odyssey?
Christopher Nolan is facing calls to halt production of his new film, The Odyssey, in the Moroccan-occupied Western Sahara. Nolan, along with stars Matt Damon and Zendaya, was spotted in Dakhla, a city within the disputed territory, on 17 July. The Western Sahara International Film Festival (FiSahara) clarified that Western Sahara is a non-self-governing territory under Moroccan occupation, not a part of Morocco. FiSahara argues that filming in Dakhla, an occupied and militarised city, contributes to Morocco's repression of the Sahrawi people and normalises the occupation. The film, an adaptation of Homer's Greek poem, is scheduled for release on 17 July 2026, with parts already filmed in Morocco, Greece, and Italy.
Yahoo
6 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey Gets Backlash Over Controversial Decision
Christopher Nolan has been asked to stop filming scenes from The Odyssey in the city of Dakhla, located in the Moroccan-occupied Western Sahara. Why has Christopher Nolan received backlash for filming The Odyssey in a controversial location? The Western Sahara International Film Festival (FiSahara), which takes place in the Sahrawi refugee camps in Algeria, and international human rights activists have urged Nolan to suspend production in the Dakhla region. FiSahara released a statement, explaining how the indigenous Sahrawi population in the military-occupied city is 'subject to brutal repression' by Moroccan forces. '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', said FiSahara Executive Director María Carrión. The festival continued, 'We are sure that were they to understand the full implications of filming such as 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. Morocco routinely touts Sahrawi cultural expressions as uniquely Moroccan. They created a film festival in Dakhla to counter ours, and produce high budget films that portray Western Sahara as part of Morocco. However, Sahrawis trying to make films about their lives are persecuted and must work clandestinely and at great risk to themselves and their families.' Nolan and Universal, the studio behind The Odyssey, have yet to comment on the issue. The Odyssey is an adaptation of the Greek epic about Odysseus, the king of Ithaca, who embarks on a treacherous journey home after the Trojan War. The Odyssey stars Matt Damon as Odysseus and Tom Holland as Odysseus' son, Telemachus. The large ensemble includes Anne Hathaway, Zendaya, Lupita Nyong'o, Robert Pattinson, Charlize Theron, Jon Bernthal, and more. Nolan writes and directs The Odyssey for Universal. It will be the first blockbuster to be shot entirely with IMAX cameras. The Odyssey opens in theaters on July 17, 2026. The post Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey Gets Backlash Over Controversial Decision appeared first on - Movie Trailers, TV & Streaming News, and More. Solve the daily Crossword
