Dakhla: Renowned Moroccan executive producer Zakaria Alaoui has offered a rare behind-the-scenes account of Christopher Nolan’s latest epic, The Odyssey, shot across several regions of the Kingdom. He revealed how the acclaimed filmmaker fell under the spell of Dakhla’s White Dune, in southern Morocco.

According to Agence Marocaine De Presse, Alaoui, who served as Nolan’s close production partner during the shoot, recalled the director’s silent awe upon discovering the breathtaking site on Dakhla’s Atlantic coast. Nolan, he said, had been searching for a location that could embody the mythical island of Ogygia, home of the nymph Calypso, portrayed in the film by Hollywood star Charlize Theron. The British-American filmmaker, renowned for his uncompromising artistic standards, was instantly captivated by the surreal expanse of white sand known locally as “Laghrid”, where white dunes merge with the turquoise waters of the Atlantic Ocean. His decision was made on the spot.

After approximately five weeks of fi
lming at the Kasbah of Aït Ben Haddou (southern Morocco), which stood in for the ancient city of Troy, as well as along the coast of Essaouira and at Marrakech’s Royal Theatre, the international production had moved on to Italy, Greece, Iceland and Scotland. It was only after an unexpected scouting trip to Dakhla that Nolan decided to bring the entire production back to Morocco for an additional week of shooting.

Australia and the Bahamas had initially been shortlisted for this phase of the production, but neither could rival the extraordinary beauty of the White Dune, Alaoui said, describing it as a dreamlike landscape worthy of the great myths and epics. “I knew exactly what to expect when Christopher Nolan contacted me,” Alaoui said of his partner, whom he described as a demanding director and producer who expects absolute focus and professionalism from those working alongside him in order to match both his relentless pace and boundless imagination.

Their professional relationship dates back 14 years, wh
en Nolan came to Tangier with Leonardo DiCaprio to film scenes for “Inception”. Alaoui remembers the production as highly successful despite the logistical challenges of shooting during both the summer season and the month of Ramadan. Providing insight into Nolan’s working methods, Alaoui noted that the filmmaker maintains an exceptionally high level of confidentiality throughout production. Scripts are distributed only to a very limited circle directly involved in the project, while sensitive communications are conducted exclusively through trusted assistants, avoiding both telephone calls and email to minimize the risk of information leaks.

Drawing on four decades of experience, Alaoui said “The Odyssey”, starring Matt Damon, is the first production of its scale ever filmed in Dakhla and the surrounding region. Until now, he explained, the logistical and financial complexities of mounting a major international production in such a remote location had discouraged filmmakers from undertaking projects of this
magnitude.

The Moroccan producer praised the valuable support provided by Moroccan authorities, particularly the Communication Department, which accompanied the project at every stage. The production required transporting a vast amount of equipment and deploying an experienced team of technicians and executive production professionals. According to him, the project benefited from what he described as “intelligent and generous” public support.

After weeks of intensive work, seeing Morocco’s landscapes featured prominently on screen was a source of great pride, he said, not only for himself but for Moroccans as a whole, who will recognize both the country’s breathtaking scenery and the expertise of Moroccan film professionals throughout the production. Each screening of Nolan’s ambitious adaptation of Homer’s epic, he rejoiced, will serve as a powerful cultural, tourism and economic showcase for Morocco on the international stage.

“The film’s finest sequences were shot in Morocco. It is a landmark production
that further strengthens the Kingdom’s reputation as a premier filming destination, offering outstanding hospitality along with exceptional natural settings and highly qualified technical and human resources,” Alaoui said, who previously spent many years at the Moroccan Cinematographic Center (CCM) before building a distinguished career as executive producer on international productions including “Green Zone”, “American Sniper”, “Mission: Impossible” and “Spectre”, the James Bond film.

He stressed that Morocco has evolved far beyond serving merely as a backdrop for foreign productions, becoming instead a genuine creative partner in their concretization. This transformation, he said, reflects the remarkable development of Moroccan talent. On “The Odyssey”, for example, Moroccan technicians outnumbered their foreign counterparts by five to one, while the latter were brought in mainly for highly specialized technical expertise.

Today, Moroccan assistants are entrusted with key responsibilities in areas such as
cinematography and sound, among others. This steady transfer of expertise has also strengthened Morocco’s domestic film and television industries by providing them with professionals trained to the highest international standards.

For Alaoui, the sustained interest of major international producers in Morocco is no passing trend. Rather, it reflects a long-term dynamic rooted in the Kingdom’s early recognition of the importance of engaging with a globalized world in which economic, cultural and symbolic dimensions are inextricably linked, and where soft power plays an increasingly strategic role.

Having launched his executive production career in 1985 on Arthur Joffé’s “Harem”, starring Ben Kingsley and Nastassja Kinski, Alaoui will have little time to celebrate the success of “The Odyssey”. He is already preparing for another major international production: the fourth installment of “The Mummy” for Universal Pictures, directed by Tyler Gillett and Matt Bettinelli-Olpin, scheduled for theatrical release next
year.

Honored by the Marrakech International Film Festival in 2014, Alaoui remains committed to showcasing Morocco’s extraordinary diversity, promoting the Kingdom’s exceptional natural and architectural heritage, from its coastlines and mountains to its deserts, modern cities and ancient kasbahs. While he retains a special affection for Ouarzazate, whose landscapes have long attracted some of the world’s greatest filmmakers, he also hopes international film and television productions will become more geographically diversified across Morocco, helping stimulate economic and cultural development in regions whose wealth of landscapes, scenery and heritage offers boundless cinematic possibilities.