Christopher Nolan Criticized for Filming ‘They Odyssey’ in Western Saharah

By Pune Media On Jul 30, 2025

Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey is already a complex story to film without the Oscar-winning director being urged to shut down filming and move to a new location by the Western Sahara International Film Festival. The criticism of Nolan shooting his next potential awards darling have come as he filmed scenes for the upcoming epic in the Morrocco-occupied area near the city of Dakhla, a “non-self-governing territory” as designated by the UN in 1963.

Nolan is certainly not the first filmmaker to set up cameras at the location to use its sandy backdrops and burning vistas to be witnessed on cinema screens and TV. One of the most recent projects to be filmed there was Prime Video’s The Wheel of Time, although with the cancellation of the series those cameras will not be returning to the area. The piece of land in question is not part of Morrocco in a legal sense, but many believe it should be, and that is where the controversy lies, especially when the U.S. is among the governments who have endorsed Morocco’s claim on the land.

‘The Odyssey’ Star Reveals How Christopher Nolan Brings an “Indie” Feel to His Mega-Budget Epic

The mythic action feature is reportedly one of the director’s most expensive movies to date.

Now, the FiSahara, which holds its festival in Algeria’s Sahrawi refugee camps and previously gained the support of stars such as Javier Bardem and Penelope Cruz, has urged Nolan to cease filming. In a statement (via Deadline), they said:

“Dakhla is not just a beautiful location with cinematic sand dunes. Primarily, it is an occupied, militarised city whose indigenous Sahrawi population is subject to brutal repression by occupying 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.

“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.”

Christopher Nolan’s ‘The Odyssey’ Could Be His Biggest Movie Yet

Universal Pictures

Christopher Nolan does not make small movies. After blowing away his Oscar competition with Oppenheimer, his latest project is now looking to make that look like a high school project. The Odyssey comes with a cast as epic as its story, with an extensive list of stars including 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.

Tickets for the movie are already on sale, and the first teaser was released a few weeks ago, delivering just a tease of Damon’s Odysseus, and several other characters. Set for release on July 17, 2026, Nolan’s movie has been filming in several far-flung locations in Morocco, Italy, Ireland, and Scotland. Although the exact way Nolan will play Homer’s epic poem of Odysseus’ dangerous return home after the Trojan War is not yet known, we already know some of the visually stunning sights that will be given the full IMAX treatment in the movie. This will include monstrous cyclops, sirens, gods, nymphs, the witch goddess Circe and some intense high drama for Odysseus’ wife Penelope, who is awaiting his return while their home is taken over by those looking to replace him.

Source: Deadline

The Odyssey

Release Date: July 17, 2026
Producers: Emma Thomas

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