Christopher Nolan under fire for filming in disputed Western Sahara

Christopher Nolan is under fire for choosing to shoot parts of his upcoming film "The Odyssey" in Western Sahara, a region where roughly 70% of the territory is under Moroccan occupation.

The acclaimed director recently spent four days filming scenes for the highly anticipated epic — which features stars like Matt Damon, Tom Holland, Anne Hathaway, and Zendaya — in Dakhla, a city designated by Morocco as the capital of its Dakhla-Oued Ed-Dahab administrative region. Although Morocco claims the area, the United Nations classifies Western Sahara as a "non-self-governing territory." 

The region is home to the Indigenous Sahrawi people and is widely considered the last African colonial territory yet to gain independence. Morocco continues to assert control, pushing a proposal to grant Western Sahara limited autonomy under Moroccan sovereignty — a model akin to Spain's approach with the Canary Islands or the Basque Country. This proposal has gained backing from countries like the US, the UK, and France.

Shortly after filming wrapped in Dakhla, the Western Sahara International Film Festival (FiSahara), which operates from Sahrawi refugee camps in Algeria, issued a public statement urging Nolan to cease production. As of now, neither Universal Pictures nor Nolan has commented.

"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 festival stated, 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."

Festival director María Carrión added that Nolan and his crew may not fully grasp the consequences of filming in such a contested area. "By working in a territory labelled a 'journalistic desert' by Reporters Without Borders, the production is unintentionally aiding Morocco's efforts to legitimise its occupation," she said. "If they truly understood the reality — that local Sahrawis can't even make films about their own experiences under occupation — Nolan and his team would likely be deeply disturbed."

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Actor Javier Bardem, who has previously participated in FiSahara, shared the festival's message on Instagram. He wrote, "For five decades, Morocco has occupied Western Sahara, displacing the Sahrawi people. Dakhla has been transformed by occupiers into a tourist hub and now a movie set — all part of an effort to erase its true identity. This is another case of illegal occupation and repression, with the support of Western nations, including Spain. #FreeSaharaNow."

Forbes also reported that the Polisario Front — the Sahrawi nationalist movement advocating for independence through both diplomacy and armed resistance — condemned the production. In a statement, the group said, "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, not everyone sees the situation the same way. Reda Benjelloun of Morocco's national film body, the Moroccan Cinematographic Center, told local outlet Medias24 that the filming in Dakhla marks a significant milestone. "This is the first major Hollywood film shot there," he noted. "Dakhla offers unique geographic landscapes unlike any other part of Morocco, making it an exciting opportunity for future international productions."

"The Odyssey", an adaptation of Homer's ancient Greek classic, has also been shot in Morocco, Greece, and Italy. The film, set to be distributed by Universal Pictures, is slated for release on July 17, 2026. Early ticket sales are reportedly already strong.