On January 26, the NIF-supported film “Coexistence, My Ass” premiered at the prestigious Sundance Film Festival. The film, which depicts Noam Shuster Eliassi’s journey as a comedian and coexistence advocate, immediately snapped up the spotlight. It received a flurry of positive reviews in Variety, IndieWire, and the Hollywood Reporter. And to top it all off, the film won the award for World Cinema Documentary Special Jury Award for Freedom of Expression.  

The movie is a deeply personal tale. Noam grew up in Wahat al-Salam/Neve Shalom, the only village in Israel where Jewish and Palestinian citizens choose to live side-by-side by choice. It ends with her in an “oasis of peace”, and she has—from the UN to Harvard to the comedy club—never lost empathy for both Palestinains and Israelis. Today, in addition to her one-woman comedy show, she is the co-host of the latest season of NIF’s collaborative podcast, Groundwork, and an ALBI flagship artist where she is one of four creators whose work embodies the values of justice for all. ALBI is a new fund, institute, and lab that uses cultural vehicles to establish paradigm-shifting narratives by and about Palestinians and Jews, founded by NIF VP of Public Engagement, Libby Lenkinski. Libby was also an executive producer of “Coexistence, My Ass”.

All of us at NIF are extraordinarily proud of Noam, Libby, and the rest of the team that made “Coexistence, My Ass” happen. Variety Magazine put it this way: 

“[Noam’s] message, that peaceful coexistence can only exist between two equals (and not between the oppressor and oppressed) is not only an inspiring one, but also one proven to be true throughout history. She wishes for the day when peace becomes a lived-in reality, rather than an empty feel-good message. While there is nothing hilarious about these topics, Eliassi and “Coexistence, My Ass” do the impossible and deliver radical ideas through humor. Rarely has comedy felt this serious and urgent.”