THE AMBASSADOR Director Mads Brügger Comes Under Fire for Obtaining Liberian Papers

The film The Ambassador is set to open at the New York IFC Center on August 29, 2012. Its director Mads Brügger has recently come under fire for his strategic and controversial means in obtaining Liberian Diplomatic papers.

According to Liberia's The Daily Observer, "President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf says she’s concerned over a documentary film in which Danish Journalist, Mads Johan Brugger Cortzen, presented himself as a Liberian Diplomat with titles of Consul General and Ambassador-At-Large, accredited to the Central African Republic (CAR)."

"Presidential Press Secretary Jerolinmick Z. Piah said the issue is of grave concern to the President, and she has called for a full investigation. ...The Government of Liberia said Mr. Cortzen’s action was not only immoral but criminal and offensive to the Government and people of Liberia. In a documentary, Cortzen said his motive was going undercover to explore the nefarious world of blood diamonds and corruption in Africa."

Admitting that he fraudulently purchased a Liberian diplomatic position and passport, Mads defends his stance that his only motive was to show how corrupt and easy the system is, in obtaining blood diamonds.

You can read the full article at The Liberian Observer. You can watch the full trailer for the film here.

Drafthouse Films presents the release of THE AMBASSADOR, a darkly comic, genre-bending piece of gonzo journalism. International provocateur, director and journalist Mads Brügger (filmmaker of Sundance Grand Jury Prize winner RED CHAPEL) rips the corroded lid off the global scheme of political corruption and exploitation happening in one of the most dangerous places on the planet: the Central African Republic. Armed with a phalanx of hidden cameras, black-market diplomatic credentials and a bleeding-edge wit, Brügger transforms himself into an outlandish caricature of a European-African consul. As he immerses himself in the life-threatening underworld of nefarious bureaucrats, Brügger encounters blood diamond smuggling, bribery, and even murder—while somehow managing to crack amazing razor-sharp barbs at every step along the way. From each absurdly terrifying/hilarious situation to the next, THE AMBASSADOR is a one-of-a-kind excursion from the man whom The Huffington Post has called “the most provocative filmmaker in the world.”

Brügger is expected to be in New York opening weekend for Q&As at The IFC Center. Drafthouse Films will open THE AMBASSADOR in New York at The IFC Center on August 29 (Los Angeles on August 29) followed by a national roll-out. The film is already available on VOD and digital platforms.

THE AMBASSADOR was financed by filmmaker Lars Von Trier’s Production Company Zentropa. Running Time: 93 minutes. Language: Danish, English, French with English subtitles. Rating: Unrated.

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