Coexistence, My Ass!
Amber Fares, USA and France, 2025, 1h35m
With Noam Shuster Eliassi
In Hebrew, Arabic, Farsi, and English, with English subtitles
Winner, Special Jury Award, Sundance FF 2025
Saturday 8 November 2025 – 6:00 PM
Innis Town Hall Theatre
2 Sussex Avenue Toronto, ON M5S 1J5
Noam Shuster Eliassi is an activist-comedian who writes and performs in Arabic, English, and Hebrew (with a touch of Farsi). COEXISTENCE, MY ASS! follows her as she creates a comedy show by the same name. Shot over five tumultuous years, the film traces Noam’s personal, professional, and political journey in tandem with the region’s steady deterioration. Raised in a bilingual Israeli-Palestinian village — the only intentionally integrated community in the country — Noam grows disillusioned with traditional peace activism. She pivots to stand-up comedy and quickly attracts attention across the Middle East. But as her star rises, everything around her falls apart. With biting satire, Noam pushes her audiences to face brutal truths that aren’t always funny but do remind us that another reality is possible.
Amber Fares
Amber Fares is best known for her directorial debut, Speed Sisters (2015). Her directing credits include We Are Ayenda (2023), Gutsy (ep. 5, 2022), Reckoning with Laughter (2021), and Convergence: Courage Under Crisis (2021). Amber also served as cinematographer and producer, a Sundance Momentum Fellow, and Pillars Artist Fellow. Amber is Canadian and currently based in New York.
