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.