https://www.coexistencemyass.com

Coexistence, My Ass! is a 2025 documentary directed by Lebanese-Canadian filmmaker Amber Fares, following Israeli comedian and former UN diplomat Noam Shuster-Eliassi as she develops a politically charged one-woman comedy show. Raised in Neve Shalom/Wahat al-Salam — the only intentionally integrated Jewish-Arab community in Israel — Shuster-Eliassi grew up believing in the possibility of coexistence. But as she says, coexistence can only exist between equals, and when one group wields total power over another, the word becomes meaningless. Her sharp, uncompromising humour challenges deeply entrenched Israeli narratives about the conflict and exposes the daily realities of occupation that many prefer to ignore.

Filmed over five turbulent years (2019–2024), the documentary tracks Shuster-Eliassi through the COVID pandemic, Israel’s anti-Netanyahu protests, and the devastating aftermath of October 7, 2023. As she navigates grief, anger, and her own identity torn between communities, her comedy evolves into a fearless act of resistance. The film premiered at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival, where it won the World Cinema Documentary Special Jury Award for Freedom of Expression. Powerful, funny, and heartbreaking, it is a deeply personal and politically urgent film that reminds audiences that comedy can be both a salve and a provocation for change.