The Adventures of Prince Achmed

Lotte Reiniger's spell-binding 1927 animation, with live dulcimer score by Geoff Smith.

Created by Lotte Reiniger and a small team using scissors and card over the course of three years, The Adventures of Prince Achmed is the oldest surviving animated feature film and still captivates all ages today. Freely adapted from the Tales of 1001 Nights, the quest for a magic lamp takes us across oceans and down into volcanoes, battling with dragons, demons and witches along the way.

This very special event at the University of Birmingham’s new Bramall Music Building will include a live score composed and performed by Geoff Smith. A specialist in hammered dulcimers, Smith will be using a range of rare and wonderful instruments including one which he has developed himself, the ‘Fluid Dulcimer.’

This event is also part of the Arts and Science Festival, which takes over the University campus from 18-24 March.

To mark the restoration of the film Milestone Films and the BFI published an in depth overview of the film including two pieces by director Lotte Reiniger herself, an article from a 1936 issue of Sight & Sound and a more recent introduction to the film.