The Polisario Front has strongly criticized British-American director Christopher Nolan for filming scenes of his upcoming movie The Odyssey in the city of Dakhla, calling for an immediate halt to production. The «International Sahara Film Festival», organized annually by the Polisario in the Tindouf camps and attended this year by the group's leader, Brahim Ghali, issued an «urgent plea» to Nolan and his team, including stars Matt Damon and Zendaya, urging them to cease filming in Dakhla and show solidarity with what it described as the «indigenous Sahrawis». The Odyssey, Nolan's most ambitious film to date in terms of budget, is based on the classical epic Ulysses. Filming began at the Aït Benhaddou Kasbah near Ouarzazate, continued in Italy, and later moved to the white dunes area approximately 30 kilometers from Dakhla. Set to be released on July 15, 2026, the film is a cinematic adaptation of Homer's ancient Greek epic, also titled «The Odyssey». While the original epic consists of 24 books, the specific segments Nolan plans to highlight in his version have not yet been disclosed. The film boasts a star-studded cast, featuring Matt Damon, Anne Hathaway, Robert Pattinson, Tom Holland, Zendaya, Lupita Nyong'o, and Charlize Theron.
