Borat (Motion picture)

Borat! Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan is a 2006 mockumentary black comedy film directed by Larry Charles, which stars Sacha Baron Cohen as Borat Sagdiyev, a fictional Kazakh journalist traveling through the United States. Much of the film features unscripted vignettes of Borat interviewing and interacting with real-life Americans who believe he is a foreigner with little or no understanding of the local customs. A co-production between the United States and the United Kingdom, Borat is the second of four films built around Baron Cohen's characters from Da Ali G Show and Ali G Indahouse. Borat was released on 2 November 2006 by 20th Century Fox. The film received critical acclaim, earning $262 million worldwide. Baron Cohen won the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy, while the film was nominated for Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy. Borat also received Academy Award and WGA Award nominations for Best Adapted Screenplay. Controversy surrounded the film prior to its release, and after the film's release, some participants spoke against, and even sued, its creators. It was denounced by the Kazakh government and was banned in almost all Arab countries except for Lebanon, though it later was embraced by the Kazakh government in tourism campaigns. Borat has since been regarded as one of the greatest comedy films of the 2000s and 21st century. A sequel, Borat Subsequent Moviefilm, followed in 2020.