Coexistence, My Ass!

Amber Fares / United States, France / 2025 / Czech Premiere / 95 min.

synopsis

Noam Shuster-Eliassi, an Israeli stand-up comedian with mixed roots, has become both a beloved and hated celebrity. She and her Palestinian friend Ranin were raised in the “friendship village” of Neve Shalom (Oasis of Peace) and presented to the world as an example of possible peaceful coexistence. The settlement has been visited by Hillary Clinton, Jane Fonda, and the Dalai Lama. But that's not enough for Noam—as an adult, she decides to make a real impact and fight for peace. Despite the power of politically incorrect humor, music, and social media, however, she finds that she is unable to eradicate her own country's dehumanizing war machine or the global view of genocide in Gaza.

“The name of my show was born as a joke. As a way of coping with reality. I wanted to poke fun at the approaches to peacebuilding in the Middle East. It's more like a feel-good industry than lived reality. Many years after being nothing more than a childish advertisement for peaceful coexistence, I said enough is enough!”

biography

Amber Fares (b. 1970) is a Canadian director, cinematographer, and producer of Lebanese descent. She studied sociology at the University of Western Ontario and film at the Gulf Islands Film and Television School. After September 11, she began studying relations in the Middle East. Her film Coexistence, My Ass! won numerous awards, including TIFF and Sundance.

film details

director:	Amber Fares
producer:	Amber Fares, Rachel Leah Jones
photography:	Amber Fares, Philippe Bellaïche, Amit Chachamov
editing:	Rabab Hajyahya
music:	William Ryan Fritch
sound:	Rachel Leah Jones, Ibrahim Zaher, Sharon Louzon
co-producer:	Valérie Montmartin
executive producer:	Ina Fichman, Libby Lenkinski, Alison Klayman, Joe Plummer, Jenifer Westphal