Sacha Baron Cohen’s new film “Ali G: Who Iz I?” is now set for only a one-week theatrical run in the UK, a sharply reduced release compared with the wider rollout originally planned, following weeks of controversy over the character’s portrayal.
The film marks Cohen’s feature directorial debut and revives his Ali G character, a parody of a white suburban youth who adopts elements of Black urban culture. Whether the shortened cinema run is a direct result of the controversy has not been confirmed.
UK cinema chain Picturehouse Cinemas had already announced it would not screen the film in October, citing concerns over what it described as the character’s “racist stereotypes.”
The campaign against the film has been led by the media-monitoring group NewsCord, which has pressed other major UK chains — including Odeon, Cineworld, Vue, Everyman and Showcase — to refuse to screen it. NewsCord has argued that Cohen uses satire as a “cover for enforcing racist stereotypes” and has described the Ali G revival as reviving a “racist caricature.” The group says more than 27,000 emails have been sent to cinema chains as part of the effort.
Cohen’s own past remarks on free speech
The controversy has drawn attention to past comments attributed to Cohen on the limits of free expression and online platforms. In those remarks, he said: “This is not about limiting anyone’s free speech. This is about giving people, including some of the most reprehensible people on earth, the biggest platform in history to reach a third of the planet. Freedom of speech is not freedom of reach. Sadly, there will always be racists, misogynists, anti-Semites, and child abusers. But I think we could all agree that we should not be giving bigots and pedophiles a free platform to amplify their views and target their victims.”
Cohen has not issued a public statement responding to the campaign against his own film.
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