Christopher Nolan’s upcoming film “The Odyssey” has drawn criticism for shooting scenes in Moroccan-occupied Western Sahara, where Indigenous Sahrawi filmmakers risk imprisonment for documenting their own lives. The territory, considered non-self-governing by the UN, has been under Moroccan control since 1975, with half the Sahrawi population living in refugee camps and the rest under military surveillance.
Sahrawi activists note the irony of filming a story about displacement and return in a land where Indigenous people have been forced into exile for over 50 years. While foreign film crews are granted access by Moroccan authorities, Sahrawis are denied the right to film or tell their stories, with cameras often leading to arrest.
International law prohibits using resources—including land for filming—in occupied territories without Indigenous consent. Critics argue Nolan’s production legitimises Morocco’s occupation and participates in a state-sponsored PR campaign to whitewash human rights abuses. The film industry’s extractive practices, they say, parallel colonial resource plunder.
Nolan has not commented on the controversy. Western Sahara remains disputed, with the Polisario Front seeking independence and Morocco asserting sovereignty. The UN continues to call for a referendum on self-determination.
