Teenage Waistband

This proof of concept is the coming-of-age tale of Kippy Weinberg, a Jewish teenager growing up in 1967 Ohio. Bullied by his brothers and father, Kippy's only real friend is his grandparent's maid, Josephine, who has always seen something more in him.

  • Liv Boren
    Director
    REVERB
  • Lee Wilkof
    Director
    No Pay, Nudity
  • Lee Wilkof
    Writer
    No Pay, Nudity
  • Liv Boren
    Producer
    Unraveled, A Beautiful Voice, REVERB
  • Chris Dooly
    Producer
    Unraveled, A Beautiful Voice, REVERB
  • David Costabile
    Key Cast
    "Bernard Weinberg"
    Billions, Breaking Bad, Snack Shack, Lincoln, Suits
  • Adriane Lenox
    Key Cast
    "Josephine"
    Julia, A Thousand and One, The Path, Daredevil, The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, Ms. Guidance, Manifest,
  • Julie Dretzin
    Key Cast
    "Shirley-Jean Weinberg"
    The Handmaid's Tale, How to Get Away with Murder, Breaking Bad, Six Feet Under, Aliens in the Family
  • Liz Larsen
    Key Cast
    "Grandma Ida"
    The Baltimorons, The Week Of, Madoff, The Boy Downstairs
  • Lee Wilkof
    Key Cast
    "Grandpa Morris"
    The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, School of Rock, High Maintenance, Afterschool, Curb Your Enthusiasm, No Pay, Nudity, Ray's Male Heterosexual Dance Hall, Dig Deeper
  • Chris Dooly
    Key Cast
    "Uncle Jerry"
    Unraveled, Dead End Job, A Beautiful Voice,
  • Lewis Black
    Key Cast
    "Radio DJ"
    The Daily Show, Inside Out, Inside Out 2, Madoff, Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated, Atrabilious,
  • John Bedford Lloyd
    Key Cast
    "Newscaster"
    Trading Places, Ozark, Gotham, Bad Shabbos,
  • John Benjamin Hickey
    Key Cast
    "Jim Morrissey"
    The Big C, Law & Order, The Good Wife, Tallulah, The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, Mapplethorpe, Jessica Jones, In Treatment, Gossip Girl, Lilly
  • Ethan Mathias
    Key Cast
    "Kippy Weinberg"
    Evil Lives Here, Homework, Superstar, Curtain Call
  • Bret Sherman
    Key Cast
    "Ronnie Weinberg"
    Cherry Pie
  • Graham Davidson
    Key Cast
    "Teddy Weinberg"
    An Angry Boy, Manhattan Cowboy
  • Victor Williams
    Key Cast
    "Radio Caller"
    King of Queens, The Affair, Sneaky Pete, Happy Together, Dig Deeper
  • Project Type:
    Short, Other
  • Genres:
    Drama, Comedy, Proof of Concept
  • Runtime:
    7 minutes 45 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    February 4, 2025
  • Production Budget:
    26,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Digital Cinema Package:
    Unavailable
Director Biography - Liv Boren, Lee Wilkof

Liv Boren: Liv Boren (co-director of Teenage Waistband) is a London-bred, New York-based filmmaker: Director, Writer and Producer. Liv began making films in her Northwest London neighborhood as a child on her Canon Digital Camcorder. She has a passion for mission driven projects and coming-of-age stories.

Lee Wilkof: Lee Wilkof (writer/co-director of Teenage Waistband) has been acting for a long time. He appeared on The Gong Show, directed the film No Pay, Nudity, and won the New Yorker Cartoon Caption Contest some years ago. He loves rich characters, and working with talented decent people. Good plays/films come out of that combination. We hope our piece’s characters move you, and that your curiosity about the story is piqued. It touches issues and incidents that run throughout our feature length screenplay. Moments from a specific time in our history that resonate profoundly in our current political climate. It’s funny, painfully honest, and plenty Jewish.

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

Our film, TEENAGE WAISTBAND, is based on the real life experiences of writer and co-director, Lee Wilkof.

We chose to tell this story with the hope that it inspires and connects with all the young outsiders feeling put down in the world, as well as those who have a growing desire to comment on the world or make their voices heard. We also hope to inspire older generations to take the time to listen to young voices and keep an open mind as they come of age.

We aim to highlight the racial disparity of 1960's America, while giving audiences an opportunity to consider the prevailing relevance of such issues today. This film offers a vignette of a complicated Jewish American family, a perspective that’s been depicted in recent cinema yet is still under represented.

And of course, we wanted to make a film that is as impactful and dramatic as it is entertaining and funny!

Perhaps most importantly, this project is the first step in producing a feature film version of TEENAGE WAISTBAND. Kippy’s story is the timeless tale of self-identity, as relevant today as it was in the 1960’s. Much like this short, our viscerally funny yet deeply poignant feature script, which has already been written, grapples with core issues Americans still face today: racism, trauma, bullying, insecurity, loneliness, and the backdrop of ongoing wars which infiltrate the mundanity of everyday life.

Warm regards,
Liv & Lee