The filming of ‘The Odyssey’ of Christopher Nolan is not out of controversies. Some of the most important figures of Spanish cinema – Rodrigo Sorogoyen, Javier Bardem or Icíar Bollaín – have joined to denounce the unseeled recording of the film in the Sahara. The initiative arrives through a manifesto of the International Film Festival of Sahara (Fisahara).
In the manifesto to which names such as Juan Diego Botto, Javier Gutiérrez, Carolina Yuste or Luis Tosar have also joined that Universal Pictures, Syncopy and Nolan “break their silence on why they chose the city of Dajla, occupied by Morocco, in the Western Sahara, as a place of filming.” Nathalie Poza, Carlos Bardem, Melanie Olivares and directors Benito Zambrano and Fernando Colomo, among others, also add to the cause.
The text indicates that the Saharawi people were expelled from their land by Morocco in 1975, “forced to flee to the desert” and “bombarded with white phosphorus and napalm by Moroccan and French aircraft.” For this reason, they denounce that the decision to record in the city of Dajla has been taken without the consent of the Saharawi: “The only consent she received came from the occupant force: Morocco.”
The manifesto argues that “without knowing it,” Nolan could have contributed “to the repression of the people of the Western Sahara, helping to normalize the brutal occupation of Morocco.” The film’s team is requested to recognize their mistake and, regarding the recorded scenes, that “they do not edit them or obtain the consent to do so from the Saharawi people.”
It is expected that ‘The Odyssey’ will be released in mid -2026 and will include a cast formed by stars of the highest level, such as Matt Damon, Tom Holland, Zendaya, Robert Pattinson, Anne Hathaway, Mia Goth or Charlize Theron.
