ABSTRACT
The highly publicized 2006 release of Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefi t Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan thrust questions over the ethics of documentary fi lmmaking into the center of public discourse. The fi lm’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 fi led against the fi lm’s producers by, fi rst, a group South Carolina University students who were expelled from a fraternity on the basis of their behavior while appearing in the fi lm. 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 fi lm would never be shown in the United States. Other participants in the fi lm quickly followed, leaving more than half-a-dozen lawsuits fi led to date in relation to Borat .
