Filmmaker Christopher Nolan is facing criticism for his decision to shoot parts of his upcoming film The Odyssey in Western Sahara. The area is considered “non-self-governing" by the United Nations and largely controlled by Morocco. Nolan’s latest project- an adaptation of Homer’s Greek epic- is one of the most anticipated films of next year. However, his choice of location has drawn sharp condemnation from activists, film bodies, and human rights groups.
According to a report in Variety, some key portions of the film have been shot in the city of Dakhla, situated in the Moroccan-administered Dakhla-Oued Ed-Dahab region.
Why is Nolan being asked to stop shooting in the region?
Dakhla is located within the borders of Western Sahara- a region known to have an unresolved colonial legacy and is also the home to Indigenous Sahrawi people who have been seeking independence for decades.
The Western Sahara International Film Festival (FiSahara), which operates out of Sahrawi refugee camps in Algeria, has urged Nolan and his team to halt shooting in that region. “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 said in a statement.
Calling the production’s presence “a form of complicity," the festival further stated, “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."
Sahara director Mara Carrin added, “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."
Javier Bardem, who has been an ally and a past participant of FiSahara, also extended support to body and shared the statement on Instagram. He wrote, “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 to erase 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 Odyssey's star-studded cast
The movie boasts an ensemble star cast, and so far, only three roles have been officially confirmed: Matt Damon will be playing the role of Odysseus, Tom Holland as his son Telemachus, and Charlize Theron will be playing the goddess Circe. The rest of the cast includes Zendaya, Anne Hathaway, Jon Bernthal, Robert Pattinson, Benny Safdie, and Lupita Nyong’o.
There have been reports that Robert Pattinson will be playing the role of the Greek god Hermes, who helps Odysseus on his journey, Anne Hathaway will be playing his wife Penelope, and Zendaya is reportedly playing Athena, the Greek goddess of wisdom.
The film will utilise new IMAX technology to capture the grandeur of the legendary tale. The Odyssey is slated for a worldwide theatrical release on 17 July 2026.
