Watch: Ride Along the Mauritania Railway in Breathtaking Short Doc
by Alex Billington
June 27, 2025
Source: YouTube
“Hop on board the ‘Backbone of the Sahara’ with filmmaker Macgregor for an incredible journey through the stunning Western Saharan landscape.” Wow. Every shot in this is absolutely jaw-dropping. This short film originally debuted back in 2017, but was recently reposted by National Geographic on their channel and it’s a breathtaking must watch. Directed and shot by cinematographer Macgregor, the 13-min film is titled The Mauritania Railway – Backbone of the Sahara. “One of the longest and heaviest trains in the world, the 1.8-mile beast runs from the mining center of Zouerat to port city of Nouadhibou on Africa’s Atlantic coast. The train is the bedrock of the Mauritanian economy and a lifeline to the outside world for the people who live along its route.” The best “holy shit” shot is at 6:08. This video also adds an especially fascinating context to the outstanding film Sirat, which premiered to rave reviews at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival this year (here’s mine). Once you’ve seen the film you’ll understand how it all connects. View below.
Thanks to National Geographic for reposting this. Intro from YouTube: “The Mauritania Railway, opened in 1963, consists of a single 704-kilometer railway line linking the iron mining center of Zouerat with the port of Nouadhibou. Trains on the railway are up to 3 kilometers in length, making them among the longest and heaviest in the world… Mauritania contains abundant iron ore, which accounts for more than half of the nation’s exports. The Mauritania Railway was built for the sole purpose of transporting the iron ore…” The Mauritania Railway short doc is created, directed and filmed by acclaimed cinematography Macgregor (real name Miguel de Olaso) based in Los Angeles – you can view more of his work on his official website or follow him on IG @macgregor.works. He’s also worked on features including Vivarium, Fall, Kandahar. Concept and scenario by Macgregor, Tim Hyten, Aaron McKenzie. With original music by Rhian Sheehan. Produced by Blackmilk. More info on Macgregor’s site. To discover more short films, click here. Thoughts?
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