Tuesday, November 18, 2025 at 4:45 PM
IFC
323 6th Ave, New York, NY 10014
Tickets
The screening will be followed by a Q&A with director Marcin Modzelewski.

Wednesday, November 12 – Sunday, November 30, 2025
Online Screening
Tickets

An artfully crafted and quietly striking chronicle of Mzia, a former sniper turned residential elevator operator, offers a tragicomic glimpse into modern Georgia through the rhythms of one extraordinary-ordinary life. – Murtada Elfadl

Lift Lady (2024) is a poignant short documentary directed by Marcin Modzelewski, a graduate of the Łódź Film School. The film offers an intimate portrait of Mzia, a former sniper turned elevator operator in the Nutsubidze Plato, a brutalist housing complex in Tbilisi, Georgia. Her daily routine involves overseeing a coin-operated elevator that connects three apartment blocks via a skybridge—a vital yet often malfunctioning relic from the Soviet era.

Through Mzia’s interactions with residents and her meticulous attention to the elevator’s upkeep, the film explores themes of community, resilience, and the absurdities of post-Soviet life. The narrative blends surrealism with tragicomedy, painting a vivid picture of contemporary Georgia’s societal dynamics. Modzelewski’s direction transforms a seemingly mundane setting into a microcosm of broader cultural and historical tensions.

Since its world premiere at the 2024 International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam (IDFA), Lift Lady has garnered international acclaim. It won the Audience Award at the Thessaloniki International Documentary Festival and received a Jury Mention at the 22nd MDAG in Poland. The film has also been featured at prestigious festivals such as DOC NYC and the Chania Film Festival in Greece, where it was part of the international competition Learn more…

Director: Marcin Modzelewski

Producer: Jerzy Kapuscinski, Ewa Jastrzebska, Magdalena Tomanek

Executive Producer: Anderegande Studio: Katarzyna Staszczyk, Krzysztof Laczak

Cinematographer: Jakub Urbanski

Editor: Marcin Soltysik

Language: Georgian

Country: Poland

Year: 2024

Co-presented by the Polish Cultural Institute New York.