Advocacy Groups Demand ‘Borat’ Sequel Be Barred from Oscars, Golden Globes for ‘Promoting Racism in Entertainment’

Advocacy groups are calling for the Borat sequel, starring Sacha Baron Cohen, to be barred from the Oscars and Golden Globes for “promoting racism in entertainment” and “portraying Kazakh people as misogynistic, incestuous, anti-Semitic, and barbarous.”

Several advocacy organizations have called for Borat Subsequent Moviefilm to be banned from competing in the industry’s awards after the film earned an Oscar nomination and two Golden Globe nominations, according to a report by Fox News. The organizations say that Sacha Baron Cohen’s flick is guilty of “normalizing, promoting and monetizing whitewashing, ethnic stereotyping, cultural appropriation and racism in entertainment.”

“Mr. Cohen went beyond any moral or ethical standards in portraying Kazakh people as misogynistic, incestuous, anti-Semitic, and barbarous,” said Gia Noortas, CEO of Hollywood Film Academy. “Due to this harmful misrepresentation, more Kazakhs today will face racial abuse, bullying, humiliation, and dehumanization.”

The groups are now “calling on the film award organizations worldwide to publicly condemn whitewashing and cultural appropriation, stand against racism and racial hatred and remove Mr. Cohen, his cast, crew and film ‘Borat Subsequent Moviefilm’ from their respective competitions this year.”

“We understand that the nature of comedy is to test the limits of what is acceptable, but not at our nation’s expense,” acknowledged Noortas, who went on to say that the film is nonetheless “racism, period.”

“It’s racism, period,” said Noortas. “Racial abuse of Kazakh minority should not be the last refuge of racism in Hollywood. Kazakh women have become targets for harassment, Kazakh children are being bullied, Kazakhs worldwide face discrimination.”

Borat Subsequent Moviefilm is the sequel to the 2006 mockumentary-style comedy Borat. The film follows Kazakhstani journalist Borat, as makes his return to the United States, this time with his daughter — played by Maria Bakalova — where the two attempt to carry out a “secret mission.”

Watch the trailer below:

The film was released on Amazon Prime on October 23, and is now considered a contender for awards this year, specifically for Bakalova’s role as Borat’s daughter, Tutar.

You can follow Alana Mastrangelo on Facebook and Twitter at @ARmastrangelo, on Parler at @alana, and on Instagram.