People News

Borat sparks summit

Sep 13, 2006, 17:22 GMT

Sacha Baron Cohen has prompted US President George Bush to host a White House summit, after angering the Kazakhstan government with his comic creation Borat. Sacha Baron Cohen - causing an international kerfluffle with his Borat character...
© Glenn Harris / Photorazzi

Sacha Baron Cohen - causing an international kerfluffle with his Borat character... © Glenn Harris / PhotorazziThe British star has infuriated Kazakhstan leaders with his latest movie, 'Borat: Cultural Learning of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan'.Borat is portrayed as a backward, racist and sexist man who, in one of Cohen's previous comedy sketches, once sung "kill the Jews".The first scene of Cohen's latest movie, which premiered at the Toronto Film Festival last week, shows Borat kissing his sister inappropriately before riding off in a horse-drawn car to explore the US.Kazakhstan's President Nazarbayev now plans to fly to America to meet with President Bush to discuss his country's image.In a PR blitz the government will promote the "real Kazakhstan" via television and print advertisements ahead of the film's release in November.A government spokesman, Roman Vassilenko, said: "The government has expressed its displeasure about Borat's representation of our country."We understand that the film exposes the hypocrisy that exists both here in the US and in the UK and understand that Mr Cohen has a right to freedom of speech."But, I certainly don't think President Nazarbayev and Mr Bush will share a joke about the film. "The bottom line is we want people to known that he does not represent the true people of Kazakhstan."(C) BANG Media International