Three years in the making, and worth every moment, Lotte Reiniger’s beautiful 1926 silhouette animation, The Adventures of Prince Achmed, brings to life magical tales from the Arabian Nights. The earliest surviving animated feature film – preserved in the BFI National Archive – it has been hailed as one of the world’s most innovative and influential animations. 

Handsome young Prince Achmed is brave and eager for adventure, so when the most powerful sorcerer in the world challenges him to fly a magic horse, Achmed plunges headlong into a series of exciting escapades that take him from Baghdad to China and through the enchanted spirit lands of Wak-Wak.  

Made by card cut entirely by hand, and manipulated using sheets of lead joined by wires, Reiniger’s exquisite shadow characters move intricately through colourful worlds of demons, witches, beautiful princesses and flying castles. Her incredible talent and creativity have greatly influenced animation and film from Disney to Francis Ford Coppola. 

PLUS expect a bewitching and spellbinding selection of Lotte Reiniger’s Fairytales showing alongside the feature film - Papageno (1935, 11mins) The Frog Prince (1954, 10mins) and Thumbelina (1954, 10mins).

With an introduction by Dáire Carson (The Little Film Society) and followed by a shadow puppet making workshop inspired by the work of Reiniger. Design your very own cut out characters and bring them to life with some card, glue and light!

The Adventures of Prince Achmed & Lotte Reiniger Fairytale Films Tickets £4.50 - £6.00: https://www.watershed.co.uk/whatson/14043/the-adventures-of-prince-achmed-lotte-reiniger-fairytale

FREE Shadow Puppet Making Workshop: https://www.watershed.co.uk/whatson/14117/shadow-puppet-making-workshop

Presented by Dáire Carson (The Little Film Society) in collaboration with South West Silents with thanks to the BFI National Archive as part of Other Ways of Seeing, supported by BFI awarding funds from National Lottery. 

A 2K remaster tinted and toned c/o  BFI Distribution.