The idea of air guitar is pretty silly in itself, but the idea of taking it seriously as an art form borders on outright ludicrous. And that’s the point of this documentary, which chronicles the pantomime instrument heroes vying for championships in New York, Los Angeles and Finland. Cut from the same mold as quirky competitive factual films Spellbound and Wordplay, Air Guitar Nation introduces some of the colorful characters who populate the air guitar world, including David “C-Diddy” Jung, who uses karate chops in his delivery, and Dan “Björn Türoque” Crane, a man who truly believes he’s worthy of rock star status because of his wild stage moves. Shot on video in a no-nonsense manner with a zippy pace, the film presents a funny, off-the-wall look at a world that could only garner attention in the age of YouTube and MySpace.

Shelf Talk: Docurama is doing some inventive marketing to promote its first theatrical release, including a contest in which contestants submitted photos of themselves playing air guitar, and the winner is featured in a DVD extra. The company also featured the Top 10 entrants on AirGuitarNation.com, where people were given a chance to formulate their own stage nickname.