Oscar-winning director Christopher Nolan’s upcoming movie is sparking controversy in North Africa, with the decision to shoot some scenes in a long-disputed territory incurring the ire of a rebel group fighting for independence.

Nolan, who took home two Academy Awards for Oppenheimer in 2024, has chosen to film parts of The Odyssey in the desert landscape near Dakhla, an Atlantic city in Western Sahara. The area was recognized by US President Donald Trump as coming under Moroccan rule in 2020, opening up a wave of investment, development and tourism.

Nolan picked a number of global locations for The Odyssey, a $250 million epic starring Matt Damon as the Greek hero Odysseus alongside a host of other stars including Oscar winners Charlize Theron and Lupita Nyong’o. But the choice of Dakhl

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