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LIFT
PRODUCTION INFORMATION
A disillusioned rabbi, who has lost faith in himself and his congregation, calls upon Godfrey, the owner of a small shoe store, to inquire about a pair of
elevator shoes in an effort to get a lit Richard Benjamin, Joe Grifasi and Fisher Stevens star in "Lift. The film is a
Herschel Weingrod presentation, a Paul Kaufman Production of a film by Salome Breziner. Herschel Weingrod and Salome Breziner are the screenwriters of this original story by Salome Breziner.
"Lift" was shot in Los Angeles' Korea Town, and at University Synagogue in Brentwood during the worst rainstorm to hit Los Angeles since the mid1800's.
"The scenes we shot at the shoe store in Korea Town were bright daylight scenes," explains director Salome Breziner. "We had to shoot with lights
outdoors, at night, in a torrential downpour. Due to the weather, our Winnebegos showed up four hours late, so my cast was sitting in the middle of Korea Town in a complete flood. The crew, dressed in plastic
trash bags, was getting drenched, trying to hold down 12K lights from being toppled by the wind. Paul (Kaufman) had to sweet talk disgruntled crew members out of mutiny and fend off all these angry Korean shop
keepers, while Richard Benjamin and Joe Grifasi just laughed at the absurdity of it all." Producer, Paul Kaufman, had convinced his own rabbi to allow "Lift" to be
shot in Brentwood's University Synagogue. After packing the Temple with a hundred crew 'members and atmosphere personal, Kaufman was sternly warned by his rabbi that everything was to be left exactly as found.
Unfortunately, an antique table and a treasuredLladro sculpture were damaged during the film making process. As he glued the table back together, Kaufman was certain that his own Rabbi would throw him out of the religion. "Lift" could have never been made, Kaufman and Breziner agree, if people didn't believe in young filmmakers. Kaufman, who spent months soliciting
donations of time and equipment from the likes of Panavision, Dolby Laboratories, Universal Studios, Deluxe, and others, is quick to point out that he was able to bring the film in at a fraction of its quarter million
dollar budget due to the overwhelming support of the industry. He recalls, "the first day we opened our production office I called and asked a vendor for a contribution of less than $5.00 worth of simple
production forms. He refused. I hung up the phone, thought about it, and called right back. 'How can you refuse,' I asked? 'We're the young filmmakers of tomorrow. We're the future blood of this industry. We can't
take no for an answer.' With that, the production forms were on their way. We begged, borrowed and stole to make this film and we didn't accept 'no' for an answer. And, with that attitude, the contributions of equipment,
time and talent just kept getting larger." "We were very picky," adds Salome. "For as picky as we were, it's amazing that people didn't get insulted considering we were asking them to
basically work for free. We wanted the best and we wouldn't compromise. That's why this film looks so good we held out for good people."
LIFT won the Algarve International Film Festival award for best short film, the 
tle closer to God. The rabbi purchases the shoes and heads
to his synagogue, confident in what he thinks is a new elevated state. Little does he know that Godfrey's youthful sidekick has stolen the lifts from the shoes in order to win a date with a girl who prefers taller men. When
"God" (Godfrey) realizes this, he rushes to the synagogue with the rabbi's lifts. He arrives too late. The service begins and Godfrey watches with amazement as the rabbi,
believing that he is wearing the elevator shoes, is lifted, miraculously, to new heights.
He rationalized it wouldn't be too terrible, "there are at least 400 other religions who are willing to
take us if we get kicked out of Judaism."
CINE Golden Eagle award, and the Gold Award at Worldfest Houston.
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