ABSTRACT

The highly publicized 2006 release of Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan thrust questions over the ethics of documentary filmmaking into the center of public discourse. The film’s value to society, the methods used to make it, and the people who appeared in it were met with praise, condemnation, lengthy exposés, countless editorials, and comments from at least two heads of state. Lawsuits were filed against the film’s producers by, first, a group South Carolina University students who were expelled from a fraternity on the basis of their behavior while appearing in the film. The students’ lawyers claimed Borat’s producers, including lead actor Sacha Baron Cohen, encouraged their clients to drink heavily, act in a way they would not normally act, and sign consent forms while under the impression that the film would never be shown in the United States. Other participants in the film quickly followed, leaving more than half-a-dozen lawsuits filed to date in relation to Borat.