About the movie

The Ambassador may read like Borat in concept, but Mads Brügger’s fictitious persona entertains and devastatingly illuminates the real world of corrupt African commerce. Via hidden cameras and an underestimated Canon 5D, Brügger documents how he bought himself a diplomatic passport, established a fake match factory business in the Central African Republic, and developed the connections to obtain and smuggle blood diamonds out of the country in his diplomatic pouch. Initially striking a comedic tone, Brügger’s alter ego is dressed like an absurd colonial overlord (including riding boots and smoking accessories) and tosses around inane anecdotes, naïve questions, and a host of racist unpleasantries. Erroneously perceived as a malleable moron by the politicians and businessmen around him, he is able to manipulate the system undetected. Of course, these are not fictitious characters, but the real high-level politicians of the Central African Republic with whom Brügger is interacting. With the assassination of one of Brügger’s political contacts and his diplomatic papers unable to be verified,The Ambassador sobers into a suspenseful, real-life thriller that attains a deeper understanding of governmental corruption than ever before documented.