A film about the Wonder wandering among people.
Trailer
ABOUT THE FILM
Scenario
The film script was written as a graduation work at the Russian State Institute of Cinematography by the scenarist Alexander Dorbinyan, who afterwards penned the scripts for such films and TV serials as The Stargazer («Zvezdochet»), Shadow Boxing II. Revenge («Boy s tenyu 2. Revansh»), The Network («Set») and others. The Elephant scenario is based on the author’s observations of the real circus life which he knew firsthand as he worked at a circus for a while. Owing to his personal experience this amazing story appeared.
 
Synopsis
The show is under way in the circus arena. But there is agitation behind the curtain: the audience's darling, Bodhi the elephant has fallen ill. The next morning a trailer arrives to pick Bodhi up. But his sad ride along with the trailer driver Zarezin and the sweet circus girl Bonnie turns into a wondrous journey full of adventures, pursuits, unexpected twists and joyous encounters…
CAST
Sergey Shnurov
Zarezin
A Russian rock musician and leader of the bands Leningrad and Rubl is also famous as an actor and a cinema music composer. His cinema works include The Election Day («Den vyborov»), 2 – Assa – 2, Armistice («Peremirie»), Generation P, Baby («Detka»), Till Night Do Us Part («Poka noch ne razluchit») and others.

The role of Zarezin is Sergey’s first leading part in a full-length film.

Anastasiya Bagrova
Boni
A graduate of the Russian University of Theatre Arts (GITIS), played at the Moscow Chamber Drama Theatre. Her cinema works include Courtyard («Dvorik»), The Fifth Blood Type («Pyataya gruppa krovi») BAgI, Network Threat («Setevaya ugroza») and others.

The role of Bonnie is Anastasiya’s first leading part in a full-length film.

Elephants Jennie and Magda
Bodhi
The Elephant Bodhi part was played in turns by two female elephants – Jennie and Magda, but on the film set they were always together because they are so-called «lovebirds», who cannot live without each other longer than for three minutes. They care and worry about each other. Jennie and Magda are the stars of the Warsaw Circus. All their lives they live together in one cage, moving from one circus to another in one trailer and performing on various stages, but always side-by-side.
Irina Shevchuk
The Circus Director
Yury Sherstnev
The Ferryman
Yury Tsurilo
The Police Colonel
Anna Banshchikova
Marina Zarezina
Ivan Zhidkov
Sashka
A graduate of the Moscow Art Theater School, played at A. P. Chekhov Moscow Art Theatre and Tabakerka Theatre. His cinema works include Zero Kilometer («Nulevoy kilometr»), Black Lightning («Chernaya molniya»), At Verknyaya Maslovka («Na Verhnej Maslovke»), The Vanyukhin’s Children («Deti Vanyukhina»), Thunder Gates («Grozovye vorota»), Zero Formula («Formula Zero»), The Man Without Return («Chelovek bezvozvratny»), The Network («Set»), Ivan the Terrible («Ivan Grozny»), The Dark World («Temny mir») and others.
Alexander Adabashyan
Vet Petrovich
A scriptwriter, artist, film director, actor. A graduate of the Moscow Higher Art Industrial School (formerly the Stroganov School). Honoured Artist of the RSFSR (1983). His cinema works include At Home Among Strangers, A Stranger Among His Own («Svoy sredi chuzhikh, chuzhoy sredi svoikh») Five Evenings («Pyat vecerov»), The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson («Priklyucheniya Sherloka Holmsa i Doctora Vatsona»), Family Relations («Rodnya»), Flights in Dreams and in Reality («Polety vo sne i na yavu»), Madeau, poste restante («Mado, do vostrebovaniya»), The Master and Margarita («Master i Margarita»), Burnt by the Sun 2: Intercession («Utomlennye solncem 2: Predstoyanie») and many others.
Irina Shevchuk
The Circus Director
A graduate of the Russian State Institute of Cinematography (VGIK). An actress at the Dovzhenko Film Studio (since 1972) and M. Gorky Film Studio (since 1983). Presently performs at the State Theatre of Film Actors. General Director of the Open CIS and Baltic states Film Festival «Kinoshock», a member of the Soviet Filmmakers’ Union and of the Russian Cinema Academy «Nika», vice-president of the Russian Film Actors Guild. Honoured Actress of the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic (1974). Her cinema works include The Dawns Here Are Quiet («A zori zdes tikhie»), The Tale of a Woman («Povest o zhenshine»), The Right to Love («Pravo na lubov»), White Bim Black Ear («Bely Bim Chernoe uho»), I’ll Be Waiting («Ya budu zhdat»), The State Border («Gosudarstvennaya granitza»), A Man’s Zigzag («Muzhskoy zigzag»), She-wolves («Volchitzy»), A Holiday Romance («Kurortny roman») and many others.
Yury Sherstnev
The Ferryman
A graduate of the Russian State Institute of Cinematography (VGIK). An actress at the Dovzhenko Film Studio (since 1972) and M. Gorky Film Studio (since 1983). Presently performs at the State Theatre of Film Actors. General Director of the Open CIS and Baltic states Film Festival «Kinoshock», a member of the Soviet Filmmakers’ Union and of the Russian Cinema Academy «Nika», vice-president of the Russian Film Actors Guild. Honoured Actress of the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic (1974). Her cinema works include The Dawns Here Are Quiet («A zori zdes tikhie»), The Tale of a Woman («Povest o zhenshine»), The Right to Love («Pravo na lubov»), White Bim Black Ear («Bely Bim Chernoe uho»), I’ll Be Waiting («Ya budu zhdat»), The State Border («Gosudarstvennaya granitza»), A Man’s Zigzag («Muzhskoy zigzag»), She-wolves («Volchitzy»), A Holiday Romance («Kurortny roman») and many others.
Yury Tsurilo
The Police Colonel
A graduate of the Yaroslavl Theatre School. Played at the theatres of Novgorod, Gorky, Novosibirsk, Norilsk and at the Alexandrinsky Theater in St. Petersburg. His cinema works include Khrustalyov, My Car! («Khrustalyov, mashinu!»), In August of 1944 («V avguste sorok chetvertogo»), The Kopeck («Kopeyka»), The Bandits Petersburg («Banditskiy Peterburg»), Heavy Sand («Tyazhely pesok»), The Kukotsky Case («Kazus Kukotzkogo»), The Fall of The Empire («Gibel imperii»), Piter FM, The Inhabited Island («Obitaemy ostrov»), PiraMMMida, Silent Souls («Ovsyanki»), Viy: the Return («Viy: Vozvrashenie») and others.
Anna Banshchikova
Marina Zarezina
A graduate of the Leningrad State Institute of Theatre, Music and Cinematography (LGITMiK). An actress of the Komissarzhevskaya State Academic Drama Theatre (1997-2010). Her cinema works include You Are My Only One («Ty u menya odna»), Streets Of Broken Lanterns («Ulitzy razbityh fonarey»), The Empire Menaced («Imperiya pod udarom»), Nero Wolfe and Archie Goodwin, Baron Is His Name («Po imeni Baron»), Kamenskaya, Piranha («Ohota na piranyu»), Heavy Sand («Tyazhely pesok»), The Cabby («Bompila»), The Cupid («Kupidon»), Zhukov and others.

ALSO

Anatoly Kalmykov, Aleksandr Pyatkov, Evgeny Yermakov, Tatiana Shiryaikina, Marina Ivanova, Pavel Drozdov, Yury Vnukov.
CAMERA CREW
Ruslan Gerasimenkov
Director of Photography
Igor Kotsarev
Production Designer
Vladimir Karabanov
Director
A graduate of the Kiev Tchaikovsky State Conservatory and the Adabashyan class at the Higher Courses of Film Directing and Screenwriting. Soloist of the Kamerata Chamber Orchestra (1989 – 1993). From 1993 to 1995 Vladimir Karabanov performed at the Cairo Opera House and the Ukraine’s Soloist Quartet at the Ukrainian Embassy in Egypt. From 1997 to 1999 he was a postgraduate student of the Moscow Tchaikovsky State Conservatory and the first violin in the New Classic Stars Quartet. Vladimir Karabanov directed the films Rondo of The Opera Patriarch (documentary) and Criminal Circumstances (feature). The Elephant is his cinematic debut.
Ruslan Gerasimenkov
Director of Photography
A graduate of The Bauman Moscow State Technical University (MGTU) and of the A. Knyazhinsky, V. Nakhabtsev and V. Medynski class at the Russian State Institute of Cinematography (VGIK). The director of photography of the films Stone («Kamen»), Gromozeka, One War («Odna voyna»), Closed Spaces («Zakrytye prostranstva»), Atomic Ivan («Atomny Ivan») and others. Ruslan Gerasimenkov’s films were presented at film festivals in Karlovy Vary, Rotterdam, Toronto, Sofia, Houston, Tehran, Tampere and Cairo. A winner of the Russian Guild of Cinematographers White Square Award for the film One War. A member of the Russian Guild of Cinematographers and the European Federation of Cinematographers IMAGO.
Igor Kotsarev
Production Designer
A graduate of the Russian State Institute of Cinematography (VGIK), M.A.Bogdanov’s class. Worked upon the music videos Theatre for the Russian band Alisa, and A Glass of Wine for Anna Likholet. Igor Kotsarev’s paintings were exhibited at the Moscow Central House of Artists, Manezh Exhibit Hall and Sotheby’s in Tel-Aviv. Kotsarev’s cinema works include Gromozeka, One War («Odna voyna»), All Gone to the Front («Vse ushli na front»), The Three and the Snowflake («Troe I Snezhinka»), Travelling with Pets («Puteshestvie s domashnimy zhivotnymi»), Piter FM, The Island («Ostrov») and others.
Sergei Akhunov
composer
A musician, composer and arranger. Collaborates with the leading Russian musicians and composes cinema music. A graduate of the Kiev Tchaikovsky State Conservatory. Until the ‘00s Sergei Akhunov composed primarily electronic music and rock-n-roll pieces. However the influence of the modern composers, such as Valentin Silvestrov, Arvo Pärt, Vladimir Martynov, Giya Kancheli and others, made him try himself as a chamber music composer. In 2005 Sergei Akhunov composed his first chamber piece - string quartet Floridas. The piece was performed by L’Orchestre de Bretagne in France and by the Romantic quartet in Moscow. Sergei Akhunov is the author of many other pieces, such as Four Seasons for 2 violins and the strings (the first performance took place in Saint-Malo, France in 2009), Hugo’s Empty Page for violoncello, piano and a string orchestra, Van Gogh's Dreams piano quartet, A Great Elegy to John Cage trio, This Is Not a Garden, but Must Be Near…, Centaurs for solo instruments and others.
Tatiana Knyazheva
Costume designer
A graduate of the Moscow State University of Design and Technologies (MGUDT), Tatiana Knyazheva designs costumes for theatrical and film productions, such as Mayonnaise, Buben-Baraban, Network Guardians («Khraniteli seti»), Over the City («Nad gorodom»), Atomic Ivan («Atomny Ivan»), Following You («Za toboy»), The Convoy («Konvoy») and others.
Marianna Gaiduk
Costume designer
A graduate of the Moscow State University of Design and Technologies. Designs costumes for theatrical and film productions, such as Mama-Moscow, Atomic Ivan («Atomny Ivan»), The Hunter («Okhotnik») and others.
Anna Kornienko
Make-up artist
A graduate of the Moscow Artistic and Pedagogical College of Technologies and Design, a student of the Moscow State University of Design and Technologies. Works as a cinema makeup and costume designer. Her cinema works include The Fathers’ Sins («Grekhi otzov»), Love Talisman («Takisman lubvi»), The Network («Set»), Zero Kilometer («Nulevoy kilometr»), Where Do Children Come From? («Otkuda berutza deti»), The Atlántida, No Wonders («Chudes ne byvaet»), Quarantine, Criminal Circumstances («Kriminalnye odstoyatelstva»).
Galina Kosygina
Make-up artist
A graduate of the Odessa Theatrical Art and Technics School, with a degree in makeup art. She has been working over thirty years at Belarusfilm cinema studio. Her works include more than forty films, among them Red, Honest, in Love («Ryzhy, chestny, vlublenny»), Peter Pan, Do Not Leave («Ne pokiday»), Franz + Polina, The Last Armoured Train («Posledny bronepoezd»), June, 1941 («V iyune 1941»), The Red Ice. The Saga of Yugra Hunts («Krasny led. Saga o hantakh Yugry»), The Insight («Insayt»), Lonely Island («Odinoky ostrov») and many others.
Yaroslav Jivov
Producer
A graduate of the Moscow Power Engineering Institute and the Ontario Chamber of Commerce Training Centre (international export-import operations). A member of the Board of Directors of the international multi-profile investment financial holding Kapitel. Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Kapitel Energo industrial engineering company. Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Monarch Group of Companies.
Elena Glikman
Producer
A graduate of the Moscow State University Faculty of Journalism and the Igor Tovstunov’s producers class at the Higher Courses of Film Directing and Screenwriting. Since 1991 she has been directing (in partnership with Mikhail Degtyar) the Reporter TV-studio (special reports and documentary films). The Reporter studio is a four-time TEFI award winner, Lavr award and many other international prizes winner. The producer at Telesto Film Company (since 2007), a member of the German-Russian and the French-Russian Film Academies. Elena Glikman was the producer of the films Piter FM, Plus One («Plus odin»), Cops and Robbers («Kazaki-razboyniki»), Quiet Family Life («Tikhaya semeynaya zhizn»), New Year Tariff («Tarif Novogodny»), Atomic Ivan («Atomny Ivan»), and others.
Alexey Uchitel
Producer
A graduate of the S. A. Gerasimov Russian State Institute of Cinematography (VGIK). Worked as director-cameraman at the Leningrad (now St. Petersburg) documentary films studio. Art Director and General Director of the Rock Films studio (founded in 1991). Winner of many international and Russian film festival awards. Director of the films His Wife’s Diary («Dnevnik ego zheny»), Dreaming of Space («Kosmos kak predchustvie»), Captive («Plenny»), The Edge («Kray»), The Stroll («Progulka») and others. Producer of the films Pavlov’s Dog («Sobaka Pavlova»), Love Affair («Svyaz»), Sukhodol, The Road to…(«Doroga na…»), I’ll Be Around («Ya budu ryadom»).
Tatiana Sarana
Associate Producer
A graduate of the Moscow State University Faculty of Journalism. A scriptwriter, editor, associate producer. Since 2004 Tatiana Sarana has been the Associate Producer at Telesto Film Company. She wrote the scripts for the films The Letter (presented at the out-of-competition program at the Cannes International Film Festival) Cops and Robbers («Kazaki-razboyniki»), Hen Party («Devichnik»), The Lucky Pashka («Schastlivchik Pashka»), The Winner («Pobeditel») and others. She was the associate producer of the films Quiet Family Life («Tikhaya semeynaya zhizn»), The Letter («Pismo»), Colour of the Skies («Tzvet neba»), Cops and Robbers («Kazaki-razboyniki»), Atomic Ivan («Atomny Ivan»), Plus One («Plus odin») and others.
Victoria Gromik
Executive Producer
Victoria Gromik is the executive producer at Telesto Film Company. From 2001 to 2004 she worked at the Savva Kulish Independent Experimental Centre of Culture and Information (NETSKI). Victoria Gromik stadied at the A. M. Gorky Institute of Literature. The executive producer of the TV movies The Wrong Ones Are Always Kissed («Celuyut vsegda ne tekh»), Colour of the Skies («Tzvet neba»), The Treasure («Sokrovishe»), Quiet Family Life («Tikhaya semeynaya zhizn»), Cops and Robbers («Kazaki-razboyniki») and feature films Plus One («Plus odin»), New Year Tariff («Tarif Novogodny»), Atomic Ivan («Atomny Ivan»), and others.
Kira Saksaganskaya
Co-Producer
Kira Saksaganskaya has been the co-producer at Rock Films studio since 1991. She is a member of the German-Russian and French-Russian Film Academies. She was the producer of the films Sukhodol, The Edge («Kray»), Living («Zhit»), Captive («Plenny»), Dreaming of Space («Kosmos kak predchustvie»), The Stroll («Progulka»).
Tatiana Sarana
Associate Producer
Victoria Gromik
Executive Producer
Kira Saksaganskaya
Co-Producer
Stills
«The Elephant» on DVD
A DVD version of The Elephant is available in chain stores

and in the following retail stores: Victoria, Borisovsky, Feya, Bukharest, Polskaya moda.

MUSIC
The original music is performed by the Russian State Symphonic Cinematographic Orchestra (directed by Sergei Skripka) and the ELEPHANT ORCHESTRA, a group of tremendous musicians founded specially for recording compositions for The Elephant (Rustam Komachkov (cello), Irina Popova (piano), Pavel Novikov (Indian flute), Asya Samitova (tabla), Roman Kochergin (tuba), Grigory Nemirovsky (flugelhorn, zink), Igor Bystrov (PARKI) - arrangement.
«The Elephant» at Film Festivals
  • 2010 Open Russian Film Festival «Kinotavr»;
  • 2010 International Film Festival of Asian Pacific Countries in Vladivostok «Pacific Meridian»
    Special Yul Brynner award for the best female role was granted to actress Anastasia Bagrova (Smetanina);
  • 2010 Warsaw International Film Festival;
  • 2010 Tokyo International Film Festival;
  • 2010 Honfleur Russian Film Festival;
  • 2010 Cairo International Film Festival;
  • 2011 Open St. Anna Student and Debut Film Festival;
  • 2011 Russian visual arts festival «Orlyonok»
    GRAND PRIX in the «Cinematography» category; diploma «For the Best Female Role», diploma «For the Best Camerawork»;
  • 2011 International festival of the Young European Cinema «VOICES»;
  • 2011 Moscow National Film Festival «The Moscow Premiere»
    «Family Jury» prize for the best «adult» role of Anastasia Bagrova (Smetanina);
  • 2011 St. Petersburg Children’s Charity Film Festival
    Diploma «For the best film in competitive program»;
  • 2011 Kinoshock Open Film Festival of the CIS countries, Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia
    GRAND PRIX at the children’s feature films festival «KinoMalyShock»;
  • 2012 «Golden Roof» International Theatre and Film Festival in Yaroslavl;
  • 2012 «Spirit of Fire» International Festival of Cinematographic Debuts;
  • 2012 «Smile, Russia» Open Russian Comedy Film Festival;
  • 2012 «Reflection» Moscow Open Youth Films Festival;
  • 2012 «Leaf Fall» International Film Festival in Minsk.

Designed by Sasha Nilov