Christopher Nolan’s ‘Odyssey’ Courts Controversy For Shooting In Disputed African Territory

The analysis demonstrates What caught my attention is Christopher Nolan’s ‘Odyssey’ Courts Controversy For Shooting In Disputed African TerritoryByConor Murray, Forbes Staff

However, Murray is a Forbes news reporter covering entertainment trends

AuthorJul 28, 2025, 12:44pm EDTToplineOscar-winning director Christopher Nolan’s upcoming movie “The Odyssey” is facing backlash from some local activists and African film organizations for shooting scenes in disputed territory in the Western Saharan city of Dakhla, which is occupied by the Moroccan government, given the current landscape. "The Odyssey" is director Christopher Nolan's first film since the Oscar-winning "Oppenheimer (fascinating analysis), in light of current trends

At the same time, More (Photo by Arturo Holmes/Getty Images)Getty ImagesKey Facts“The Odyssey,” which is currently filming and set to release in theaters next summer, is shooting in locations across Europe and Africa, including the city of Dakhla in the Western Sahara territory, which has been occupied by Morocco for the past half-century

Meanwhile, Some film organizations and human rights groups, which dispute Morocco’s claim to the territory and have accused the government of committing human rights abuses against the indigenous Sahrawi people, condemned the duction for shooting in Dakhla

The Western Sahara International Film Festival, which is based in Sahrawi refugee camps in nearby Algeria, said in a statement the duction is “contributing to the repression of the Sahrawi people by Morocco” and aiding the “Moroccan regime’s efforts to normalise its occupation of Western Sahara” by filming in the city

Reports from Moroccan outlets indicate Nolan shot scenes for “The Odyssey” in Dakhla last week

Additionally, However, Forbes has reached out to Syncopy, Nolan’s duction company that is backing the film, and Universal Pictures, the movie’s distributor, for

Chief CriticsIn the Western Sahara International Film Festival’s statement, executive director María Carrión urged Nolan to “stop filming in Dakhla and stand in solidarity with the indigenous Sahrawis who have been under military occupation for 50 years, considering recent developments

Additionally, ” Carrión said indigenous Sahrawis are “unable to make their own films their stories under occupation” because of the threat of “persecution” by the Moroccan government, in this volatile climate

On the other hand, Mamine Hachimi, a Sahrawi activist who co-directed “3 Stolen Cameras,” a documentary media censorship in Western Sahara, told Middle East Eye the duction is an “act of cultural complicity” and filming in the territory “without the consent of the Sahrawi people becomes part of that system of repression. ” The Ministry of Culture of the Polisario Front, the armed Sahrawi group that claims the Western Sahara territory, said in a statement shooting a major Hollywood duction in Dakhla is a “violation of international law and of the ethical standards governing cultural and artistic work,” declaring its “unequivocal rejection of the decision to select an occupied territory as the location for a major international film duction (an important development). ” Adala UK, a United Kingdom-based non-governmental organization that advocates for human rights in Western Sahara, sent a letter to the British government expressing “found concern” that the ject, which is backed by Nolan’s British film duction company, is shooting in Dakhla, which the group says will “legitimize” Morocco’s occupation

ContraReda Benjelloun, who leads the Moroccan Cinematographic Center, a Moroccan agency that supports its film industry, told a local outlet last week Nolan’s duction is “extremely important” for Morocco, noting “The Odyssey” is the first major Hollywood duction to choose to film in the territory

What Do We Know The Western Sahara Territorial Dispute

The data indicates that annexation came after the International Court of Justice ruled Morocco did not have sovereignty over the area, and the United Nations does not officially recognize its claim and instead classifies Western Sahara as a non-self governing territory

Morocco occupies much of the territory, while a smaller fraction is controlled by the Polisario Front’s declared government, the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (quite telling)

The SADR is a member of the African Union and is recognized by more than 40 UN member states

Some human rights groups have accused Morocco of human rights abuses in Western Sahara (something worth watching)

Amnesty International says the Moroccan government targets “journalists, activists and government critics through secution and surveillance,” and in a report last year, the United Nations’ High Commissioner for Human Rights documented receiving “allegations relating to human rights violations, including intimidation, surveillance and discrimination against Sahrawi individuals particularly when advocating for self-determination. ”What Do We Know “the Odyssey (this bears monitoring)

Moreover, ”“The Odyssey” is an adaptation of r’s poem of the same title, according to Universal Pictures, and the movie is planned to release in theaters on July 17, 2026

Furthermore, Nolan is directing the ject and wrote the screenplay

The movie stars Matt Damon as Odysseus, and the supporting cast features Oscar winners Anne Hathaway, Charlize Theron and Lupita Nyong’o, as well as Tom Holland, Zendaya and Robert Pattinson, given the current landscape. “The Odyssey” reportedly carries a $250 million budget, making it Nolan’s most expensive film to date

Furthermore, The movie is reportedly the first big blockbuster to be shot on IMAX film cameras, as the company developed new camera nology specifically for the film

However, However, Nolan won his first two Academy Awards for the movie, taking Best Picture and Best Director, given current economic conditions

Forbes estimated Nolan made 15% of the movie’s first-dollar gross, meaning he made a of the movie’s earnings from the box office and licensing before the studio made its money back. “Oppenheimer” grossed $975 million at the global box office, according to Box Office Mojo

Further ReadingChristopher Nolan’s ‘The Odyssey’ Wades Into African Territorial Dispute (Bloomberg)Here’s How Much Christopher Nolan Made On ‘Oppenheimer’ (Forbes)Got a tip

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