Forty Elephants

Caught between her love for her fiancé Edvard and her obligations to her gang, the "Forty Elephants",
Marie Britain is confronted with the consequences of being an emancipated woman in the 1920s.
Edvard's rejection of the reverse role model within their relationship forces her to make a final decision.
The film is based on true events of the London women's gang "Forty Elephants".

  • Paul Maximilian Schilling
    Director
  • Paul Maximilian Schilling
    Writer
  • Henner Peda
    Producer
  • Gustav Konradin Ferdinand Kersting
    Producer
  • Alma Hasun
    Key Cast
    "Marie Britain"
    Corsage, Woman in Gold
  • Hans Gurbig
    Key Cast
    "Edvard"
    Volverás
  • Ralph Schicha
    Key Cast
    "Mr. Goodmans"
    Triangle of Sadness, Vendetta
  • Nadine Menz
    Key Cast
    "Diamond Annie"
    Limbo
  • Sonja Kerskes
    Key Cast
    "Olivia Brown"
    12 Theses, Bruder Schwester Herz
  • Nicolas Enrique Herwig
    Director of Photography
  • Carlos Gerner
    Set Manager
  • Sophie Gaberg
    Set Manager
  • Nikolai Soric
    Best Boy
  • Ismael Bittaye
    1st AC
  • Marvin Edler
    2nd AC
  • Raoul Heidingsfelder
    Dolly Grip
  • Jurij Düsing
    Crane Operator
  • Jonas Herrlein
    Still Photographer
  • Markus Wildhagen
    Historical Consulting
  • Pierre Devaux
    Set Decorator
  • Sophie Nassauer
    Prop Maker
  • Michael Bierhahn
    Set Builder
  • Julia Backmann
    Set Builder
  • Benjamin Bajda
    Set Builder
  • Maren Geissler
    Set Builder
  • Leslie von Preetzmann
    Set Builder
  • Alexander Watenphul
    Set Builder
  • Martin Fries
    Set Builder
  • Alexander Moussa
    Sound Recordist
  • Riccarda Greco
    Costume Design
  • Georg Maier-Peveling
    Costume Design
  • Jana Ruß
    Costume Design
  • Laura Gertz
    Hair & Make Up Artist
  • Mariana Florea
    Hair & Make Up Artist
  • Bianca Tenten
    Hair & Make Up Artist
  • Felix Damm
    Editor
  • Ismael Bittaye
    Color Grading
  • Karo "Cage" Gärtner
    Music by
  • Tom Lobry
    Music by
  • Mehdi Javaheri
    Studio Technology Manager
  • Iris Then
    Technical Assistant
  • Fabian Teichert
    Technical Assistant
  • Felix Damm
    VFX
  • Linn Sophie Torstenson
    First Assistant Director
  • Sophie Nassauer
    Script & Continuity
  • Leonie Dannhauer
    Script & Continuity
  • Leo Wang
    Sound Design
  • Silke Parzich
    Line Producer
  • Beate Torstenson
    Dialect Coach
  • Project Title (Original Language):
    Forty Elephants
  • Project Type:
    Short, Student
  • Genres:
    Period Drama, Drama
  • Runtime:
    17 minutes 37 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    June 28, 2024
  • Production Budget:
    42,000 EUR
  • Country of Origin:
    Germany
  • Country of Filming:
    France, Germany
  • Language:
    German
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    2,39:1
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    Yes - Macromedia University
Director Biography - Paul Maximilian Schilling

Paul Schilling was born in Cologne on 20 February 1999. Through his father Johannes Schilling, who works as a gallery owner, he encountered art at an early age. He quickly developed an affinity for art and enthusiastically attended the advanced art course during his secondary school education, in which he also completed his Abitur. Paul Schilling began with photography at an early age and in the course of this developed a passion for arthouse film. This intellectual as well as artistic confrontation with the medium of film impressed him deeply and was a decisive point for taking up his studies in the field of film and television. During his studies, he had the opportunity to gain a great deal of experience in various areas of the film industry. The cooperation with the film production company "Filmschneiderei" enabled him to set up several projects such as music videos, interviews as well as short films in the role of director and author.

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Director Statement

The 1920s, especially in terms of aesthetics, literature and art, have always served for me as a historical refuge from the present. The story of the Forty Elephants already tells of an individual emancipation of women a hundred years ago. However, until today there are almost no records as well as artistic developments about it. I find this astonishing, since this material is just as current as it was then. In recent years, film history has been dominated by male protagonists, especially when it comes to the subject of violence or power. We are all aware that this image is simply outdated.