An undercover journey into Western Sahara, revealing the Sahrawi people’s fight for freedom under Moroccan occupation.
Documenting resistance
La Badil (No Other Choice) is an undercover documentary by British filmmaker Dominic Brown of Dancing Turtle Films, co-produced with Peri Nirupan, exploring the ongoing struggle of the indigenous Sahrawi people of Western Sahara. It offers a rare and unfiltered view of life under occupation in one of the world’s most overlooked conflicts.
Africa’s last colony
Lying at a crossroads between Morocco, Algeria, and Mauritania, Western Sahara is widely regarded as Africa’s last colony. It remained under Spanish control until 1975, when a mass civilian march orchestrated by Morocco’s King Hassan II led to Moroccan occupation. A 1991 UN-mediated ceasefire promised a referendum on self-determination, but disputes over its terms have left the Sahrawi people still waiting to decide their future.
Today, more than 200,000 Sahrawis live in refugee camps in Algeria, while those who remain under Moroccan rule face ongoing allegations of human rights abuses and a continued military presence.
Gdeim Izik and the uprising
In 2010, over 15,000 Sahrawis set up a protest camp, Gdeim Izik, in the Western Sahara desert to demand an end to social inequality, human rights abuses, and Moroccan rule. Moroccan forces forcibly dismantled the camp, sparking violent clashes in which four Sahrawis and eleven Moroccan soldiers were killed. Largely ignored by international media, the uprising is now seen as a precursor to the wider Arab Spring.
Two years later, on the uprising’s anniversary, Brown and Nirupan entered the region undercover to capture its aftermath and reveal the untold stories of those affected. Their journey forms the backbone of La Badil, a documentary that examines the current human rights and political situation in Western Sahara through first-hand testimony.
The film features interviews with victims of abuse, including an elderly woman attacked in her home by Moroccan security forces just one day earlier. Alongside these personal accounts, La Badil explores the role of international actors, focusing on France’s political influence, trade ties with Morocco, and its position within the United Nations.
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La Badil has been screened at film festivals and human rights events across four continents.
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