12 Paces Without a Head (German: Zwölf Meter ohne Kopf) is a 2009 film set in the North Sea in 1401. The film centers on the German folk hero Klaus Störtebeker, who was a pirate at the time. The title comes from a legend which asserts that when he was captured by the Hanseatic League, he struck a deal with his captors that every one of his men whom he could walk past after being decapitated, would be let go. Störtebeker's body allegedly managed to make twelve paces before collapsing.

12 Paces Without a Head
German Theatrical Poster
Directed by	Sven Taddicken [de]
Written by	Matthias Pacht
Produced by	Stefan Schubert Björn Vosgerau Ralph Schwingel Uwe Kolbe
Starring	Ronald Zehrfeld Matthias Schweighöfer
Cinematography	Daniela Knapp
Edited by	Andreas Wodraschke Alexander Dittner Florian Miosge
Music by	Christoph Blaser Steffen Kahles
Production companies	Wüste Film Warner Bros. Magnolia Filmproduktion
Distributed by	Warner Bros.
Release dates	11 July 2009 (2009-07-11) (Munich Film Festival) 10 December 2009 (2009-12-10) (Germany)
Running time	103 minutes
Country	Germany
Language	German