Our Presence at the UK Odyssey Premiere
Earlier this month, Saharawi activists and members of solidarity groups from across the UK came together to protest the London premiere of Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey.
With a budget of over $250 million and expected to be one of the biggest films of the year, the production carries significant global influence. In pursuit of a picture-perfect backdrop, filming began in Dakhla, Western Sahara, part of the illegally occupied territory where gross human rights abuses at the hands of Morocco continue to occur.
Several organisations committed to the Saharawi people’s fight for self-determination reached out to Nolan’s team to raise concerns that filming in the occupied territory normalises the occupation and inadvertently supports Morocco’s actions, which have been deemed illegal under international law. However, these concerns were met with silence, and no comment has been made.
Members of Manchester’s Western Sahara Support Group, photographers, teachers, someone who works at Oxfam, and many others gathered to peacefully protest and, hopefully, raise awareness among the star-studded cast on the red carpet, along with the thousands of film enthusiasts swarming Leicester Square. We held our signs high, chanted together, and had productive conversations with many passers-by.
As usual, the overwhelming majority of people we spoke to had absolutely no idea about the conflict or the implications of Nolan’s decision. Many were horrified to learn that the Saharawi people have spent over 50 years living in refugee camps while continuing to fight for the right to return to their homeland.
Meanwhile, Morocco’s tourism campaigns, international advertising, football presence, and broader alignment with the West continue to present it as the perfect holiday destination, pushing the plight of Western Sahara even further out of public consciousness.
Overall, the protest was a fantastic example of the vibrant and unrelenting support for the Saharawi cause. We thank everyone who joined us and encourage everyone reading this to strike up a conversation with someone who knows nothing about the issue.
As thousands of bright-eyed moviegoers head to IMAX theatres over the coming months, there is a real opportunity to bring attention to the geopolitical realities surrounding the making of one of the year’s biggest films. We want to thank everyone who joined us at the protest and encourage readers to strike up a conversation with someone about this issue this week to continue spreading the word and bringing awareness to the too often overlooked people of Western Sahara
