‘The Odyssey’ Wades Into a 50-Year Land Feud in Western Sahara

*Christopher Nolan’s movie sparked controversy after filming took place in territory disputed by Morocco and an Algeria-backed independence movement.*

*Souhail Karam for Bloomberg News*

The fiddler crabs scurried for safety as a convoy of SUVs ferried European tourists toward a sweeping, crescent-shaped sandbank off the western coast of North Africa.

The White Dune stands out from the turquoise water of the Dakhla lagoon, an area popular with kitesurfers and birdwatchers where the Sahara Desert meets the Atlantic Ocean. It feels serene, though the landscape is constantly swept by high winds, even on a relatively cool July afternoon.

When Oscar-winning director Christopher Nolan’s *The Odyssey* hits theaters this weekend, it will revive debate over a half-century-old territorial dispute between Morocco and an Algeria-backed independence movement — and turn this peaceful area into the latest flashpoint in what is often described as Africa’s last colony. Parts of the epic movie, which stars Matt Damon as the Greek hero Odysseus, were filmed at the White Dune and nearby Laarich beach, against the wishes of those who reject Morocco’s ongoing control.

Western Sahara, a resource-rich area that’s roughly the size of the UK, is designated as a non-self-governing territory by the United Nations. It has largely been controlled by Morocco since Spain withdrew from its former colony in 1975, while a sparsely populated strip to the east of the territory is controlled by the Polisario Front, an armed group that claims to be the legitimate representative of the indigenous Sahrawi people of Western Sahara.

[Read the full dispatch here.](https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-07-17/christopher-nolan-s-the-odyssey-wades-into-western-sahara-land-feud?accessToken=eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJzb3VyY2UiOiJTdWJzY3JpYmVyR2lmdGVkQXJ0aWNsZSIsImlhdCI6MTc4NDI3NDc0MCwiZXhwIjoxNzg0ODc5NTQwLCJhcnRpY2xlSWQiOiJUSUIyMEtLSUpIOTcwMCIsImJjb25uZWN0SWQiOiJEMzU0MUJFQjhBQUY0QkUwQkFBOUQzNkI3QjlCRjI4OCJ9.cuL5DJYR6nCycPMdeh2MaGR2uJYDVj53GxyHhTyfVFM)