AIR GUITAR NATION

Directed by Alexandra Lipsitz
United States [ 78 mins. ] 2006
Documentary
“…the film’s droll humor and wild performances are hard to resist.” –NEW YORK TIMES
AIR GUITAR NATION chronicles the birth of the U.S. Air Guitar Championships, where legions of aspiring virtual rock stars live out their dreams and strive to become world champion on a stage where musical ability plays second fiddle to virtual virtuosity. Alexandra Lipsitz’s hilarious documentary won the audience award at SXSW and is spawning a cult following of virtual fans, no doubt drawn by the admitted ridiculousness of fake musicians battling it out for 60 seconds of mock stardom. Indeed, with most of the participants in on the joke, the pervasive silliness constitutes much of the appeal of air guitar. Full of triumph and disappointment, patriotic spirit and political tension — and, of course, invisible guitars — AIR GUITAR NATION takes audiences on an inspiring, exhilarating, uproarious journey that delves deep to find out what it truly takes to become the best in the world and to find the inner meaning of the chant, “Make Air, Not War.”

Additional Information
Filmography: First Feature
Awards:
- SXSW Film Festival 2007: Audience Award
- Traverse City Film Festival 2007: Audience Award
- Boulder International Film Festival 2007: Best Documentary
- Whistler Film Festival 2007: Audience Award
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Filmmakers Present
		AIR GUITAR NATION is director ALEXANDRA LIPSITZ’s first feature documentary. In the 1980’s, she worked with Andzje Kostenko and the BBC on documentaries in Poland. In addition to her film experience she worked for several American circuses, and traveled the seas of South East Asia, working on a sailboat as a member of the crew. She later returned to film, assisting Ondi Timoner (DIG!) on two documentary projects. Alex also helped produce hours of fascinating television for the reality competition series PROJECT GREENLIGHT and Project Runway. Alex is from New York City.
		Since he was in short trousers CEDRIC DEVITT has been an avid air guitarist, reaching the pinnacle of his professional career in 2002 when he came in fourth in the World Air Guitar Championships in Oulu, Finland. He plays under the name “Aer Lingus” with a style that is influenced by Ireland’s greatest rock band, Thin Lizzy. In 2003, Aer Lingus retired from “professional competition” to start the U.S. Air Guitar Championships. It has been nothing but air ever since. In his spare time Cedric is Creative Director at Tribal DDB, a global advertising agency based in New York. He is also a native of Dublin, (hence the Phil Lynott influence) who currently resides in New York.
		At 8-years-old, Craig Billmeier (HOT LIXX HULAHAN) received a tennis racket for Christmas. After participating in four after school group tennis lessons, he tied a shoelace to the racket and put it to much better use. With the theme from the Spiderman cartoon blasting in the background, a star was born. Fast forward to spring of 2006 when Hot Lixx not only won the U.S. Air Guitar Championship in San Francisco, but narrowly edged-out New York favorite William Ocean at the New York National Finals. With a death defying balcony balance in front of the judges he became the current reigning American Air Guitar Champ!
		When his schedule as Co-Commissioner of U.S. Air Guitar permits, KRISTON RUCKER works as a branding consultant, coming up with names and brand ideas for companies and products. Kriston grew up in upstate New York and currently lives in New York City, where he met Cedric Devitt and they together founded the U.S. Air Guitar Championships. Terrible at air guitar himself, Kriston’s keen eye for upcoming talent helps keep the Team USA ”pipeline” full. He takes our defeat in the 2006 Air Guitar World Championships as a personal affront. He has been cited as an expert in the rarefied world of air guitar by a wide variety of media, including The New York Times, The Boston Globe, Ready Made Magazine, NY Daily News KTLA and MSNBC.