The choice of Dakhla, in Western Sahara, as the setting for Christopher Nolan's new blockbuster, has sparked a debate that transcends the cinematic. A manifesto promoted by the International Sahara Film Festival (FiSahara) and supported by numerous figures in Spanish cinema, demands that Universal Pictures, Syncopy and the director explain why it was filmed there.
The text claims that the team filmed without the consent of the Sahrawi people and demands that these scenes not be used in the final cut or, failing that, that authorization be obtained from their legitimate representatives. It also invites the filmmaker to make the situation visible of those living under occupation and in refugee camps in Algeria.
What FiSahara and the signatories denounce
According to the manifesto, the production would have contributed, even if inadvertently, to normalize the Moroccan occupation of the territory by turning Dakhla into a set for major filming. Nolan and studios are asked to break their silence and explain the choice of location.
The demands are clear: that they publicly recognize that They shouldn't have filmed in the city; That do not include images taken there in the final version; or that they obtain the consent of the Sahrawi people for your use. In addition, the festival proposes that the team visit FiSahara and hear on-the-ground testimonies from Sahrawi human rights defenders, journalists, and filmmakers.
Among the supporters are performers and directors such as Javier Bardem, Aitana Sánchez-Gijón, Luis Tosar, Carolina Yuste, Juan Diego Botto, Javier Gutiérrez, Nathalie Poza, Carlos Bardem, Guillermo Toledo, Alberto San Juan and Melanie Olivares, as well as Rodrigo Sorogoyen, Icíar Bollaín, Benito Zambrano and Fernando ColomoInternational firms such as Paul Laverty, David Riker or Lurdes Pires.
Location: Dakhla in Western Sahara
Dakhla It is a city of Sáhara Occidental, a territory classified by the UN as “non-self-governing” and pending decolonization. Organizations such as Reporters Without Borders have described the area as a “information desert”, which adds sensitivity to any production operating there.
Sahrawi activists denounce that the city is highly militarized, with constant surveillance and restrictions on observers and critical press. Meanwhile, tens of thousands of Sahrawis remain in the Tindouf camps (Algeria), awaiting a self-determination referendum promised decades ago.
Official reactions and propaganda use
During filming, Morocco's Minister of Culture, Youth and Communication, Mehdi Bensaïd, celebrated the impact of the filming on the international projection of Dakhla as a tourist and film destination, and even suggested the idea of promoting a film school in the city.
El Moroccan Film Center has stressed the importance of a major Hollywood production shooting there, compared to the position of the Ministry of Culture of the Polisario Front, which considers the case a “dangerous cultural normalization” of the occupation and an unethical exploitation of cinema as an image tool.
Nolan's project and the team's silence
The film, an adaptation of The odyssey, features a top-tier cast including names like Matt Damon and Zendaya, and was filmed with cameras IMAX. Anticipation is high, with an early pre-sale that has grabbed headlines, but the team has not yet responded to criticism of the Sahrawi location.
FiSahara suggests that if you understand the implications of filming in a territory where Natives cannot tell their own stories Without retaliation, the team would reconsider using those sequences. For now, Universal, Syncopy and the director maintain silence public.
The situation highlights the ethical and political complexity of filming in disputed territories, where decisions can have repercussions on international perception and local reality.