The Stuttgart International Festival of Animated Film 2026 pays tribute to the art of silhouette animation in a special film screening: DIE ABENTEUER DES PRINZEN ACHMED, the oldest surviving feature-length animated film in cinema history, will be brought to life anew in an extraordinary live performance featuring its original score.
Copyright: Stadtmuseum Tübingen
Copyright: Stadtmuseum Tübingen
Members of the SWR Symphony Orchestra will accompany Lotte Reiniger’s 1926 silhouette film live, adding a new musical dimension to its intricate figures and fairy-tale imagery. The result is a striking interplay between early animation artistry and contemporary interpretation – honoring both the pioneering animation classic and its creator, Lotte Reiniger, along with her distinctive and influential technique.
Orchestra: Larissa Fernandes, violin | Anna Mazurek, cello | Elya Levin, flute | Ivan Danko, oboe | Lars Jönsson, piano | Conductor: Anton Brezinka
Date: Friday, May 8, 18:30 CET | Location: Innenstadtkinos Stuttgart, Gloria 1 |Tickets
With a focus on silhouette animation, the Stuttgart International Festival of Animated Film honors the pioneer of animation, Lotte Reiniger, and her influential animation technique. The occasion is this year’s anniversary: 100 years ago, on May 2, 1926, DIE ABENTEUER DES PRINZEN ACHMED by Lotte Reiniger premiered in Berlin. This silhouette film is considered the oldest surviving feature-length animated film in the world.
Lotte Reiniger is regarded as a trailblazer of silhouette animation. Her remarkable life story reflects her strength and resilience: she fled the Nazis and lived in London, Paris, and Rome – eventually also settling in Baden-Württemberg. Her work is therefore rightly at the center of a dedicated program focus at this year’s ITFS.
In addition, the ITFS has long awarded the Lotte Reiniger Promotion Award, a prize of €10,000 for the best animated graduation film in the Student Competition, sponsored by MFG Medien- und Filmgesellschaft Baden-Württemberg.
