'Ali G: Who Iz I?' faces U.K. cinema ban campaign ahead of October release

Campaigners are urging cinemas not to screen Sacha Baron Cohen’s new Ali G film ahead of its October release

Sacha Baron Cohen’s return as Ali G has prompted a campaign calling on cinemas in the U.K. and elsewhere not to screen the upcoming film Ali G: Who Iz I?.

The Amazon MGM mockumentary, which is scheduled for release on October 23, has faced criticism online following the release of its trailer earlier this week.

Critics have accused the character, who appears wearing fake dreadlocks and a Rastafarian hat, of being an outdated and racist caricature.

NewsCord, a news comparison and media monitoring platform, launched a campaign on Wednesday urging cinemas to refuse to screen the film.

According to the platform, more than 36,000 emails had been requested by Friday to be sent to major cinema chains.

The campaign cites criticism of Ali G dating back to 2000, including comments from Black British comedians who argued that the character could provide an “alibi for racism”.

Comedian Felix Dexter said the character “allows the liberal middle classes to laugh at Black street culture in a context where they can retain their sense of political correctness”.

Writer and broadcaster Afua Hirsch has also criticised the character in a recent Substack post, writing: “Black people don't dress like that anymore. Even white people imitating Black people don't talk like that anymore. Sexualizing black women and casually mocking working class women is not accepted anymore.”

However, reports suggesting the campaign had already persuaded Picturehouse Cinemas not to screen the film were disputed.

The cinema chain told a customer that it “currently do not have any plans to screen this film on its release”, but the response was understood to be a standard message concerning films not yet booked.

Phil Clapp, head of the U.K. Cinema Association, said cinemas are “not there to act as censors or arbiters of public taste”. He added that cinemas decide whether to screen BBFC-certified films based on their audiences’ likely response.

Baron Cohen appeared to anticipate criticism, writing in a tweet, “In an age when a single comedian's career can be ended by a single un-PC joke, I thought I'd play it safe and bring this guy back.”