Distrib yanks 'Borat' from Russia slate

November 10, 2006 Russian audiences will not be seeing 20th Century Fox's "Borat" because local distributor Gemini Film has pulled the plug on a theatrical release after authorities hinted that they might ban it. Officials at movie-licensing body the Federal Agency for Culture and Cinematography, who were shown Sacha Baron Cohen's wacky satire, told Gemini not to release the film because it contained ethnic and religiously offensive material. A recent spate of racist attacks in Russia and a diplomatic row with Georgia that led to hundreds of ethnic Georgians being deported from Moscow for alleged immigration violations have raised racial and national tensions, contributing to fears that the film could spark further trouble, he said.

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