Oscar-winning director Christopher Nolan has been accused of inciting «violent repression» by filming in the occupied city.
The coastal city of Dakhla is part of Western Sahara — a region in northwestern Africa that the UN designated as a «non-self-governing territory» in 1963. Legally, the territory, which has long been a magnet for high-budget filming such as the Amazon series «Wheel of Time», is not part of Morocco, but the United States, Britain, and other countries have recently supported the North African country’s claim to the land.
The organizers of the Western Sahara International Film Festival (FiSahara), which takes place in refugee camps from the region in Algeria, called on Nolan to stop filming immediately.
«Dakhla — is not just a beautiful place with cinematic sand dunes. First and foremost, it is an occupied, militarized city whose indigenous Sahrawi population is subjected to brutal repression by the occupying Moroccan forces», — the statement reads. «By filming part of Odyssey in the occupied territory, which Reporters Without Borders calls a “news black hole,” Nolan and his team may be unknowingly and unwittingly contributing to Morocco’s repression of the Sahrawi people».
The organizers clarified that Morocco promotes Sahrawi cultural expressions as «uniquely Moroccan». To this end, the country has allegedly created a film festival in Dakhla that «opposes FiSahara» and shows high-budget films that depict Western Sahara as part of it.
«We are sure that if they understood the implications of making such 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».
In the past, FiSahara has been supported by famous actors, including Javier Bardem and Penelope Cruz. Neither Nolan nor Universal has yet provided official comment.
«The Odyssey» — is Nolan’s big-budget attempt to make his own adaptation of Homer’s epic of the same name. The film’s cast includes Matt Damon, Tom Holland, Zendaya, Anne Hathaway, Lupita Nyong’o, Robert Pattinson, Benny Safdie, Charlize Theron, Jon Bernthal, Himesh Patel, Elliott Page, Bill Irwin, Samantha Morton, Jesse Garcia, Will Yun Lee and Corey Hawkins.
The release of the film, which will be the first to be shot entirely on IMAX film camerasscheduled for July 17, 2026. What is interesting, Some cinemas have already started selling ticketswhere they were dismantled in a matter of hours and already resell for fabulous money.
Earlier, «Odyssey» received first poster and slogan, while the first teaser was exclusively broadcast on shows «Jurassic World» — it is obvious that he subsequently «escaped» into the network.
Source: Deadline
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