Appearing on a screen straight from the legendary Troma Entertainment headquarters in Long Island, New York, veteran producer and filmmaker Lloyd Kaufman has both hands occupied: one is gripping a compact vape pen, the other holding a massive can of sugar-free energy drink. It would be a pretty standard sight for a busy producer, but even more impressive given that Kaufman is 80 years old, and cutting into lunch breaks to take calls coming from different time zones and respond to young assistants nipping in and out of his busy office with questions about several concurrent productions.
Kaufman founded the iconic Troma Entertainment in 1974 alongside Michael Herz, with the duo still helming what is now the longest-running independent film studio in history. The producer’s legacy was honored late last week when his daughter flew to London to accept a Raindance Icon Award on behalf of her father, who remains so busy with work he couldn’t quite make the trip. Looking back at his career with Variety on the occasion of his Raindance award, the well-humored Kaufman jokes: “Roger Corman is dead, Toby Hooper is dead, who else can they give awards to? I’m the last one left!”
Troma Entertainment specializes in low-budget independent films, focusing on horror and comedy and riffing off classic 1950s horror films by leaning into gore, farce, parody and provocation. The company is most well-known for 1984’s “The Toxic Avenger,” and is responsible for discovering major talent in the last half century, including James Gunn, Oliver Stone, Billy Bob Thornton, Samuel L. Jackson and Kevin Costner.
