Borat creators sued by estate of late Holocaust survivor who claimed she thought film was real documentary
The creators of Borat are being sued by the estate of a late Holocaust survivor who reportedly appeared in the sequel because she thought she was being interviewed for a serious documentary.
According to legal documents obtained by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Judith Dim Evans, who died this summer, was approached in January to talk about the Holocaust for what she believed was a legitimate documentary.
However, the film was in fact the comedy sequel to Sacha Baron Cohen’s Borat, which is due for release later this month.
In the legal documents, Evans’ estate claimed that she was “horrified and upset” after learning that the film “was actually a comedy intended to mock the Holocaust and Jewish culture”.
“Had Ms Evans been informed about the true nature of the film and purpose for the interview, she would not have agreed to participate in the interview,” it continued.
The character of Borat has a history of antisemitism, despite actor Baron Cohen himself being Jewish.
The lawsuit was brought by Evans’ daughter Michelle Dim St Pierre against Amazon Prime and Oak Springs Productions.
She is requesting that Evans’ scenes be removed from the film and is seeking damages of less than $75,000 (£57,000).
The Independent has contacted Amazon Prime for comment.
Borat 2, officially titled Borat Subsequent Moviefilm: Delivery of Prodigious Bribe to American Regime for Make Benefit Once Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan, will be available to stream on Amazon Prime Video on 23 October.
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