Holy Air is a debut film, directed, written and starring Shady Srour.  In some ways this episodic comedy is similar to the films of Elia Suleiman – about a Christian Arab from Nazareth who is caught between his heritage (as represented by his relationship with his seriously ill father) and his biting and insightful look at his surroundings.  Also, similar to the films of Elia Suleiman, this one also has a dark side to it, seemingly pessimistic about the possibility of life here in the Middle East.

Holy Air is about a man named Adam.  Although he is a Christian, his name implies that he represents “every man”.  Just a typical guy, he is more interested in sex with his wife than just about anything else.  Having just learned that his wife is pregnant, he is trying desperately to find a way to support his family.  In addition, he is quite surprised to discover his own violent side, and he is critical of just about everything around him.  The film pokes fun at road rage, the Jewish establishment, the Muslim protection rackets, and the local church!

Adam has a great idea to make a lot of money – selling the very same air breathed by the Virgin Mary.  He “packages” and “bottles” the air and begins to sell it to tourists.  When he discovers that business is not really as simple as it seems, he works to bring together the Israeli Minister of Tourism, the hierarchy in the Catholic Church, and the head of the Nazareth Muslim mafia, all banding together for the sake of profit. 

This satire was funded by the Gesher Multicultural FilmFund!  I sit on the board, and I’m pretty proud of the diversity and quality of the films that we have funded. For distribution information, contact treem@orange.net.il