Documentary portrait of 86-year-old Svetlana Geier, originally Ukrainian, who dedicated her life to translating Russian literature into German. The reason was, as she says herself, to pay off her debts to Germany - a debt she saddled herself with during World War II. For the last 20 years, she has concentrated on the five great novels - ‘the five elephants’ - by Dostoevsky.
The film juxtaposes her meticulous intellectual effort, which she carries out with several retired friends, with Geier's everyday activities in and around the house: peeling apples, making tea and receiving the children and grandchildren. When she is invited to be a guest lecturer in Kiev, she returns to her home soil for the first time in 56 years.
Nominated for Best Documentary during the European Film Awards last December.
- Director
- Vadim Jendreyko
- Countries of production
- Switzerland, Germany
- Year
- 2009
- Festival Edition
- IFFR 2010
- Length
- 93'
- Medium
- 35mm
- International title
- The Woman with the 5 Elephants
- Language
- German
- Producers
- Hercli Bundi, Vadim Jendreyko, Thomas Tielsch
- Production Companies
- Mira Film, Filmtank
- Sales
- Nour Films
- Screenplay
- Vadim Jendreyko
- Cinematography
- Niels Bolbrinker, Stéphane Kuthy
- Editor
- Gisela Castronari–Jaensch
- Sound Design
- Patrick Becker
- Music
- Daniel Almada, Martin Iannaccone
- Website
- http://www.5elefanten.ch