Christopher Nolan could not resist the spell of the White Dune. Tucked inside a lagoon, it rises out of the sand like a tower, glistening against the cloudless blue sky. The British filmmaker shot several scenes of his blockbuster The Odyssey (out today) at this otherworldly landmark, located near the city of Dakhla in the Western Sahara.
Until now, much of the region – a former Spanish colony which has been under Moroccan control since the 1970s – has been largely untouched by tourists. Yet that is expected to change under King Mohammed VI, who is investing billions in metamorphosing the area into a hub for business and tourism. Think of it as tomorrow’s Dubai.
The Gulf metropolis, after all, was a fishing village not that long ago. In the wake of the Iran war, as Tehran’s regime holds the Middle East hostage, Dubai-based expats are searching for a new Shangri-La. Many of them will want to follow Odysseus and flock to Dakhla.
However, not everyone is beaming at the prospect. After Nolan filmed in the Western Sahara, he faced the righteous rage of the woke caudillo himself, Javier Bardem. Taking a break from wearing pro-Palestine pins that read ‘No a la guerra’ (‘No to war’), the movie star made time for another crusade: #FreeSaharaNow.
