Christopher Nolan has been criticized for shooting elements of Universal’s all-star epic The Odyssey in Morocco-occupied Western Sahara.
The decorated British director has been filming near the coastal city of Dakhla, which is part of a region that the United Nations has designated as a “non‑self‑governing territory” since 1963.
The territory, which has become a magnet for big-budget shoots like Amazon series The Wheel of Time, is not legally part of Morocco, but the U.S. and UK are among Western governments to recently endorse the North African nation’s claim over the land.
The Western Sahara International Film Festival (FiSahara), which takes place in the Sahrawi refugee camps in Algeria, called on Nolan to urgently halt shooting in the region. Universal has been contacted for comment.
“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,” the festival said.
“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.”
In a statement, FiSahara continued: “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.”
FiSahara has been supported by prominent actors including Javier Bardem and Penélope Cruz in the past.
The Odyssey is led by 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 film, currently set for a release in IMAX on July 17, 2026, has been shooting at locations in Morocco, Italy, Ireland, and Scotland. Based on Homer’s epic poem, the story follows Odysseus (played by Damon), King of Ithaca, on his dangerous journey home after the Trojan War.
During his voyage, the protagonist faces Polyphemus the Cyclops, Sirens, the nymph Calypso and the witch goddess Circe in the treacherous oceans that separate him from his island home and wife Penelope, who unravels a wedding train that she weaves every night in the event that one of the suitors who have taken over her home ends up marrying her should her husband not return. His memory is also guarded by his son Telemachus (played by Holland). The story also features Gods including Athena, Poseidon and Zeus.