15 Movies Banned Overseas For Ridiculous Reasons
6. It's The Worst (Best) Advert For Kazakhstan - Borat
The Reason: For being "vile, gross and extremely ridiculous" and for its unflattering depiction of Kazakhstan (in all Arab countries except Lebanon and the United Arab Emirates, also banned in Russia and Kazakhstan).
Sacha Baron Cohen's iconic mockumentary left the Kazakhstan authorities so p***ed off they not only banned the movie from cinemas and DVD, but also threatened to sue Cohen and still routinely arrest tourists who decide to wear Borat-esque mankinis.
The official Kazakh response to the film is especially embarrassing as, more recently, Foreign Minister Yerzhan Kazykhanov ended up saluting Cohen for helping visa requests to the country increase ten-fold and generally heightening tourist interest.
Ultimately, banning the film was looking a gift horse in the mouth somewhat, no?