Hollywood heavyweights to produce Asian epic

Harvey and Bob Weinstein, the producers of cinematic treats such as Chicago and Kill Bill, are adding a new film to their resume.

The powerful producers will be releasing a Kazakhstan-produced film, Nomad, which has been described as an epic about "courage and romance".

The $40 million film is being made by the central Asian country to boost tourism and give the world an accurate depiction of the country that has been satirised in the latest Sacha Baron Cohen film, Borat.

Borat Sagdiyev, a fictional TV reporter played by Cohen, has won many fans for his comical adventures, particularly in his latest film.

Borat: Cultural Learnings of America For Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan is to be released in London around the same time as Kazakhstans leader, President Nursultan Nazarbayev, visits the city.

Kazakhstans foreign ministry spokesman, Yerzhan Ashykbayev, says that the decision to make a big-budget film in his home country is not a direct response to Borat, but said the region does want to show the world what it is really like.

"We understand that Borat is a kind of satire, but it is just a pity that Mr Cohen chose Kazakhstan as the origin of his hero," Mr Ashykbayev told the Times.

"As far as I know, he has never been to Kazakhstan, although there have been efforts on the part of some people here to invite him so that he can see what our country is really like."