SEVEN ELEPHANTS
NEWS
18/02/2023
+++ SUN AND CONCRETE by David Wnendt, based on Felix Lobrecht's eponymous bestseller, celebrates world premiere at Berlinale Special Gala 2023 +++
About Us
Elephants can be sad, empathic, joyful, and angry; they are among the few species which can cry. Elephants live with each other, they fight with each other, and they play with each other. They are inseparable. That is why they are the eponyms of our company: They symbolize the values we stand for.
We are the directors Julia von Heinz, Erik Schmitt, David Wnendt, and the producer Fabian Gasmia. We are an association of highly ambitious film makers, and we are focusing all our energy on creating movies that are artistic, entertaining, and emotional. Our goal are sophisticated and intelligent stories that connect with a large audience.
OUR PROJECTS
SUN AND CONCRETE / SONNE UND BETON
Status: completed
Director: David Wnendt
Writers: David Wnendt, Felix Lobrecht
Producers: Seven Elephants
Seven days in the life of a bunch of 15-year-old boys in Berlin-Neukölln as they search for weed, girls, and a way to steal their school's computers.
Premiere in the Berlinale Special programme of Berlinale 2023.
REBEL GIRL / REBEL GIRL
Status: in development
Writer/Director: Erik Schmitt
Producers: Seven Elephants
In a future where earth's surface is not inhabitable anymore and where people live in big cities built on even bigger columns, humans have lost the ability to dream. Only 17-year-old Holly still has dreams at night – but she's scared by the haunting images she sees. When evil forces banish her from the city, Holly will not only discover that she has mysterious powers, but also that the world is not what she was told.
Fabian Gasmia
Producer
Fabian is an alumni of Filmuniversität Babelsberg, Atelier Ludwigsburg-Paris, and ACE. He entered the international co-production arena with DETAiLFILM, co-producing numerous award-winning films that played at festivals worldwide and sold all around the globe, including PERSONAL SHOPPER – which won Olivier Assayas Best Director in Cannes –, L’AVENIR – which won Mia Hansen-Løve a Silver Bear as Best Director in Berlinale competition –, and Léos Carax' ANNETTE, which opened Cannes 2021 in Official Competition.
To further strengthen his reach throughout Europe, he started a joint-venture with Lars von Trier’s Zentropa Entertainments in 2015 before initiating artist-led production house Seven Elephants in 2018.
Fabian serves as vice president of the Franco-German film academy and board member of Berlin's film-school dffb.
He teaches regularly at film schools and is a frequent guest speaker at international panels.
Katja Lebedjewa
Finance & Administration
Katja obtained a master’s degree in Business Communication Management before attending post-graduate program Atelier Ludwigsburg-Paris. She gained vast experience in the production department before specializing further in financial & accounting aspects. In this capacity she executed and supervised project accounting and controlling of various national and international productions.
At Seven Elephants Katja manages finances, day-to-day operations and oversees physical production.
Leo Merkel
Production & Coordination
Leo grew up in Berlin and discovered his love for films through the local arthouse cinema scene. He studied Visual Communication at Bauhaus-University Weimar and completed the post-graduate program Atelier Ludwigsburg-Paris to deepen his knowledge of international film financing and production.
His short films have been shown at festivals around the world.
Jana Früh
Assistant to Line Producer
Jana discovered her love for film at around 10 years old through her father's old video camera and self-made music videos with friends - dancing to Britney Spears songs, of course. She studied journalism in Bremen, and, after adding a Master’s Degree in Producing Film and Television from Royal Holloways University of London, she went on to work as a production manager in the documentary sector, mostly producing films for the German Public Broadcaster ARD. In search of new challenges, she decided to follow her fascination for cinema and switch to feature film production at the beginning of 2021.
AND TOMORROW THE ENTIRE WORLD /
UND MORGEN DIE GANZE WELT
Status: completed
Director: Julia von Heinz
Writers: Julia von Heinz, John Quester
Producers: Seven Elephants, Kings&Queens Filmproduktion, Haïku Films
Cast: Mala Emda, Luisa-Céline Gaffron, Noah Saavedra, Tonio Schneider, Andreas Lust
Distributor DE: Alamode Film
World Sales: Films Boutique
Germany is struck by a violent series of racist terror attacks. 20-year-old Luisa joins a subdivision of the Antifa to oppose the uprising neo-Nazi movement. With her reckless actions, she not only fights against the extreme right but also tries to impress Alfa, an Antifa activist she is secretly in love with. Soon, things escalate, and Luisa and her friends clash over the question if violence could ever be a legitimate answer to fascism and hatred.
Premiere in Official Competition of Venice International Film Festival 2020. Nominated as Best Film at German Film Awards 2021.
IRON BOX / IRON BOX
Status: in production
Director: Julia von Heinz
Writers: Julia von Heinz, John Quester
Producers: Seven Elephants, Kings&Queens Filmproduktion, Haïku Films, Lava Films
Cast: Lena Dunham, Stephen Fry
Poland, 1990 – American music journalist Ruth takes her father Edek, a holocaust survivor, on a journey to his childhood places, hoping to make sense of her family’s troubled past. When Edek, reluctant to face trauma, undermines their trip with his unpredictable and odder than usual demeanor, Ruth is forced to challenge him and the values he brought her up with.
Julia von Heinz
Film director
Julia is a critically and commercially acclaimed director and screenwriter from Germany. She presented her work at numerous festivals, among them the Berlin International Film Festival. She has won the German Film Award for Best Young Adult Film with her debut feature NOTHING ELSE MATTERS in 2007 and the German Television Award for Best Director with her biopic KATHARINA LUTHER in 2017. Her film AND TOMORROW THE ENTIRE WORLD had its premiere at Venice International Film Festival 2020 and was nominated as Best Film at the German Film Awards 2021.
Julia earned her PhD at Film University Konrad Wolf Babelsberg, and she teaches film directing at University of Film and Television Munich.
THE TEAM
Erik Schmitt
Film director
Erik’s films have been selected at 300 festivals (Berlinale, Sao Paulo, Melbourne, Shanghai, Hamptons, BFI, etc.), winning more than 100 awards (Seattle, Newport, RiverRun, Chicago, Emden, etc.).
His feature film debut CLEO opened the section Generation KPLUS at Berlinale 2019 and played at festivals all over the world. In 2020, Schmitt was part of the international jury of Berlinale Generation KPLUS.
David Wnendt
Film director
His powerful debut film COMBAT GIRLS won David three German Film Awards and the Prix Genève-Europe for Best Screenplay. His second film WETLANDS, an adaption of Charlotte Roche’s bestselling-novel, premiered at Sundance 2014, where it was well received by the international press. Over two million people went to cinemas to see David’s third film LOOK WHO’S BACK, which was nominated as Best Comedy for the European Film Awards. David went to Sundance a second time in 2019 with his film THE SUNLIT NIGHT, which starred Jenny Slate, Gillian Anderson, and Zach Galifianakis.
In 2016, Variety named David as one of their ten Europeans to watch. He is currently working on SUN AND CONCRETE, an adaption of the bestselling novel by Felix Lobrecht.
CONTACT US
Seven Elephants GmbH
+49 30 98 440 940
Bergmannstraße 106
10961 Berlin
GERMANY
