Laura Daudén

Neglected by the world, the Western Sahara's fight for independence is one of the longest in recent history. The documentary tells the history of resistence of the saharawi people, who have been waiting for a referendum on self-determination for 26 years, and explores their insatisfaction with the UN's peacekeeping missions in refugee camps, liberated zones and occupied territories by Morocco for over 40 years. The documentary also questions Brazil's neutrality on the matter, one of the few countries in Latin America that still haven't recognized the independence of Western Sahara, contributing to the normalization of sistematic violence against the saharawis and the illegal extraction of their natural resources.

Occupation Inc. exposes European businessmen and politicians involved in the economic exploitation of Western Sahara, the last colony in Africa and one of the most militarized, violent, and censored territories in the world.

Saharawi women have always been at the forefront of the resistance against colonialism and the plunder of their territory by Morocco. In spite of Morocco’s repression, intensified by the collapse of the ceasefire with the Polisario Front in November 2020, activists living under occupation gathered to document the violence perpetrated against their daughters, mothers, sisters and grandmothers since 1975. This documentary explores this historical process through the voices of its protagonists in their triple roles as victims, researchers, and international activists. A sensitive and close analysis of these experiences is complemented by animations and statistics little known to the general public. The result is an astonishing record of the gravity and extent of the violence exercised by Morocco against women, but also a photograph of colonialism from a gender perspective that emphasizes the unwavering strength of these activists to fight for their people’s rights.