Christopher Nolan in Hot Water Amid ‘The Odyssey’ Filming, Here's Why

Christopher Nolan is one of few modern directors to have a nearly perfect filmography, though it doesn’t mean he will stay safe from some major criticism of his ambitious projects.

Having helmed his greatest movies in some of the wildest locations in the world, Nolan embarked on an epic journey with his not less epic The Odyssey, travelling throughout Greece, Italy and now some parts of Africa for an even bigger and more realistic scale of the upcoming movie.

However, Nolan’s latest stop for filming The Odyssey provoked a full-scale scandal, with the director himself getting under an attack of Sahara International Film Festival’s organisers.

Christopher Nolan Gets Heat for Filming ‘The Odyssey’ in Western Sahara City

Though both Nolan and his production team might have already wrapped filming the director’s next anticipated movie, the fact that they spent some time enjoying the picturesque views of the city of Dakhla in Western Sahara will likely not be forgotten anytime soon.

Since the land has been considered occupied by Morocco for several decades, Nolan’s decision to move his production right there wasn’t really met with raving reactions.

“By filming part of The Odyssey in an occupied territory … Nolan and his team, perhaps unknowingly and unwittingly, are contributing to Morocco’s repression of the Sahrawi people and to the Moroccan regime’s efforts to normalise its occupation of Western Sahara”, Sahara International Film Festival’s executive director María Carrión said in a recent interview with The Guardian.

Meanwhile, ‘The Odyssey’ First Screenings Are Already Sold Out Ahead of 2026 Premiere

Nolan’s next movie might be causing a buzz due to a controversial filming location, but The Odyssey remains arguably the most anticipated film being released next year — and it shows.

Exactly a year before The Odyssey’s world premiere on July 17, tickets for the movie’s first screenings went on sale in theatres across the US, resulting in cinema franchises’ websites crashing and falling victim to the crazy demand.

Now that many of Christopher Nolan’s fans got their lucky tickets for the upcoming premiere, others opted for staying outside of the whole mess, reasoning that things will likely change radically throughout a whole year and buying a movie ticket this much in advance doesn’t make any sense.

The Odyssey is now set to be released worldwide on July 17, 2026.