kazakhstan Tagged Articles at Cinematical
Monday Morning Poll: Borat -- Did the Controversy Beef Up the Box Office?
Filed under: Comedy », Celebrities and Controversy », Box Office », 20th Century Fox », Movie Marketing », Politics »
With all the buzz around Borat: Cultural Learnings on America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan this weekend, you just knew the Monday Morning Poll was going to be about Sacha Baron Cohen's controversial film. In case you haven't been keeping track, so far Borat has:
- Caused a stir with the Kazakhstani government
- Been accused of being unethical
- Upset several people shown in the film, who are upset that Borat made them look foolish
- Motivated a German human rights group to protest the film's depiction of gypsies
- Led to speculation on whether the film is too smart for the average movie-goer
- Upset some parents of adopted Kazakhstani children
In spite of all this controversy, some dissent over whether Borat is even funny, or just offensive, the subsequent hand-wringing over whether Cohen should promote the film out of character, and wailing and gnashing of teeth over whether Fox made a giant mistake or canny maneuver in cutting back the film's opening to 837 screens, Borat opened strongly with over $26 million. A Fandango poll revealed that 43% of users polled there said they were influenced in their decision to see the film by the publicity around the Kazakhstani government protesting the film.
So the Monday Morning Poll to you, Cinematical readers, is this: If you saw Borat this weekend, were you more inclined to see it because of all the controversy around the film? Or were you already a Sacha Baron Cohen fan who would have seen it anyhow? And, by the by .... did you love it or hate it?
Fictional Borat Angers Real Kazakhstani Government
Filed under: Comedy », Casting », 20th Century Fox », DIY/Filmmaking », Toronto International Film Festival »
I'm sorry, but you just can't buy this kind of publicity: Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan -- Sacha Boren Cohen's new film based on his character Borat from Da Ali G Show -- has raised the ire of the real Kazakhstani government. Borat's (as described by Cinematical's Kim Voynar as "a clueless, anti-Semitic Kazakhstani journalist," ) new film is reportedly a hilarious (according to Cinematical's Scott Weinberg) mockumentary about Borat's quest to learn what American life is all about. In order to prove that Borat does not present an accurate portrayal of its citizens, the government of Kazakhstan is launching a PR blitz, and Kazakhstan's President Nursultan Nazarbayev says his government will purchase print and TV ads to promote a positive image of his country before Borat hits theaters on November 3. Furthermore, Nazarbayev will be meeting with President Bush in the coming weeks both at the White House and at the Bush family compound in Maine. Among the topics up for discussion between the two Presidents will be Borat.
The government of Kazakhstan has previously threatened Sacha Boren Cohen with legal action over his irreverent portrayal of the country and its people. Authorities have gone as far as to pull the plug on the www.borat.kz domain, though you can still find the character's official site at www.borat.tv.
[via Ain't It Cool News]
TWC Picks up Kazakh Epic
Filed under: Action », Drama », Romance », Deals », Distribution », The Weinstein Co. », Newsstand »
I bet you never thought you'd see the day when a government-funded historical epic set in 18th-century Kazakhstan, shot over three years with three directors, would get distribution in the US, huh? I know it's almost impossible to believe, but it's true: The Weinstein Company has picked up North American (and Australian, New Zealand and South African) rights to Nomad, a $35 million film that is being described as "the Kazakh Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon," whatever that means.Originally funded in its entirety by the Kazakh government and starring a bizarre mix of North American (Jay Hernandez, Jason Scott Lee, Kuno Becker) and Kazakh (Dilnaz Akhmadieva, Ayana Yesmagambetova, Doskhan Zholzhaksynov) actors, the film's original $20 million budget was somehow spent even before production began. Because they either really believed in the project or had nothing better to do with the cash, the government turned around and ponied up $15 million extra; the movie (originally shot in English, then dubbed into Kazakh) finally had its long-awaited premiere at the Locarno Film Festival over the weekend.*
No date has yet been announced for the American release.
*On the IMDb, there's a report that TWC came in late to help fund the film, and actually demanded changes, but I'm unable to find any confirmation of this story. If anyone can provide a link to details, stick it in the comments and I'll edit the post.
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