Culture Why is Christopher Nolan's 'The Odyssey' shoot accused of...

Why is Christopher Nolan’s ‘The Odyssey’ shoot accused of colonialism?

-

- Advertisment -
ADVERTISEMENT

Oscar-winning British-American director Christopher Nolan (The Dark Knight, Inception, Oppenheimer) has been accused of “violating ethical standards” by the organisers of the Western Sahara International Film Festival (FiSahara).  

Nolan has been shooting part of his upcoming film The Odyssey, an adaptation of Homer’s ancient Greek epic poem starring Matt Damon, Charlize Theron and Zendaya, in the Western Saharan coastal city of Dakhla, which has been under Moroccan occupation for 50 years.  

The organisers of FiSahara have warned that this move on Nolan’s behalf could serve to normalise decades of repression and help whitewash the Moroccan occupation.  

“By filming part of The Odyssey in an occupied territory… Nolan and his team, perhaps unknowingly and 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,” said María Carrión, FiSahara’s executive director. 

“We are sure that if they understood the full implications of filming a high-profile film in a territory whose Indigenous peoples cannot make their own films about their stories under occupation, Nolan and his team would be horrified.” 

Christopher Nolan with the Oscars for best director and best picture for Oppenheimer - 10 March 2024
Christopher Nolan with the Oscars for best director and best picture for Oppenheimer – 10 March 2024 AP Photo

Western Sahara is a disputed territory and is classified as “non-self-governing” by the United Nations. Home to the Indigenous Sahrawi people, it is the last remaining African colonial state to achieve independence with Morocco still claiming control over the majority of its land.  

Amnesty International said in a recent report that the “authorities continued to restrict dissent and the rights to freedom of association and peaceful assembly in Western Sahara”. Reporters Without Borders has described Western Sahara as a “desert for journalists” and said that “torture, arrests, physical abuse, persecution, intimidation, harassment, slander, defamation, technological sabotage, and lengthy prison sentences are daily fare for Sahrawi journalists”. 

FiSahara said it was calling on Nolan and his crew and cast to “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”. 

Voir cette publication sur Instagram

Une publication partagée par Javier Bardem (@bardemantarctic)

Actor Javier Bardem, who has appeared at FiSahara in the past, posted the festival’s statement on his Instagram with the caption: “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 with the aim of erasing 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. #FreeSaharaNow.” 

Nolan has yet to comment. 

The Odyssey has a budget of $250 million – the most expensive film of Nolan’s career – and is shot entirely using Imax cameras, making it the first film to do so. It is set for a theatrical release on 17 July 2026. 

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here

Latest news

Newly discovered document adds evidence that Shroud of Turin is fake

ADVERTISEMENT The Shroud of Turin is one of the most treasured ancient artefacts, attracting countless tourists to the Italian city - despite the fact that the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in Turin only publicly displays it on special occasions. Also known as the Holy Shroud, the linen cloth bears the faint image of

Original Harry Potter director on reboot series: ‘What’s the point?’

ADVERTISEMENT Chris Columbus, the celebrated American director of both Home Alone films, Mrs. Doubtfire and the first two Harry Potter films, has questioned the need to reboot the series with the upcoming HBO adaptation of J.K. Rowling’s novels. The filmmaker is currently promoting his Netflix film The Thursday Murder Club, which is based on the

Film of the Week: ‘Sorry, Baby’ – A masterful exploration of trauma

ADVERTISEMENT The scariest thing about life’s worst moments is the silence in which they often unfold. The world goes on, night falls, the windows of a suburban house glow as cars drive by. Yet for the person inside, existence has cracked; an irrevocable disconnect between who you once were, and the confused ghost you’ve become. 

From Taylor to Twin Peaks: The most iconic rings in pop culture

ADVERTISEMENT Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce have set the internet ablaze with news of their engagement, and all eyes have been on the ring.  According to US reports, Kelce worked with New York designer Kindred Lubeck of Artifex Fine Jewelry to design the ring and since the news of the engagement broke, the designer’s website has
- Advertisement -

165-million-year-old dinosaur with ‘weaponised tail’ found in Morocco

ADVERTISEMENT Scientists have unearthed the remains of a heavily armoured dinosaur, complete with rib spikes, a bony neck collar and a tail that may have doubled as a weapon. The fossil, discovered in Morocco’s Atlas Mountains, dates back 165 million years and belongs to a newly identified species of ankylosaur called Spicomellus. And this wasn’t

Why is Amsterdam’s Van Gogh Museum warning it may have to close?

ADVERTISEMENT Amsterdam's Van Gogh Museum, home to the world’s largest collection of works by Vincent van Gogh, has issued an extraordinary warning: without fresh government funding, it may be forced to shut its doors. The museum says a shortfall in state support threatens a €104m renovation plan - and with it the safety of the

Must read

Newly discovered document adds evidence that Shroud of Turin is fake

ADVERTISEMENT The Shroud of Turin is one of the most treasured ancient artefacts, attracting countless tourists to the Italian city - despite the fact that the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in Turin only publicly displays it on special occasions. Also known as the Holy Shroud, the linen cloth bears the faint image of

Original Harry Potter director on reboot series: ‘What’s the point?’

ADVERTISEMENT Chris Columbus, the celebrated American director of both Home Alone films, Mrs. Doubtfire and the first two Harry Potter films, has questioned the need to reboot the series with the upcoming HBO adaptation of J.K. Rowling’s novels. The filmmaker is currently promoting his Netflix film The Thursday Murder Club, which is based on the
- Advertisement -

You might also likeRELATED
Recommended to you