AIR GUITAR NATION

DOCUMENTARY, USA, 2006, 81 minutes

Director: Alexandra Lipsitz
Producers: Anna Barber, Dan Cutforth, Jane Lipsitz

If the title of this film isn’t enough to get your attention, then perhaps a few riffs from Bjorn Turoque, C-Diddy or Krye Tuff will do – watching these guys contort their faces, leap in the air and grip their fingers around non-existent strings is an experience not to be missed. A rapidly growing cult sensation, AIR GUITAR NATION chronicles the birth of the U.S. Air Guitar Championships, from its beginnings at NYC’s Pussycat Lounge to the Roxy in LA and on to Finland for the international championships. While the Europeans gloomily eye the upstarts from across the pond with dire predictions re: the death of the artform, the film hilariously captures the fascinating relationships that develop as the contestants circle each other at a pre-contest air guitar “boot camp,” run by the idolized-by-all gurus of the sport. The climax of the film is of course the big night, packed to the gills with fans. Judged on technical accuracy, stage presence and “airness,” a Zen-like state that transcends all else, it suddenly becomes clear this is one competitive sport that binds instead of separates. As the final triumphant note is played, it’s all we can do not to leap out of our seats. (Ruth Cowing)

• 2006 Tribeca Film Festival: Best Documentary
• 2006 South by Southwest: Audience Award

Alexandra Lipsitz began working on documentaries in the 1980s in Poland with Andzje Kostenko and the BBC. She has worked on a sailboat in Southeast Asia, crewed on several circuses in the United States and assisted Ondi Timoner on two documentary projects. Lipsitz has also produced hours of “scintillating television” for Project Greenlight and Project Runway. This is her first feature-length documentary.