National Museum Presents (non-SFS event)

Ten years before Walt Disney brought Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs to the big screen, Berlin-born avant-garde filmmaker Lotte Reiniger created The Adventures of Prince Achmed, the first surviving full-length animated feature in movie history. One of the great classics of cinema, the film is a stunning and ethereal interpretation of the fables of The Arabian Nights, the well-loved medieval Middle Eastern literary epic.

The film follows the story of a prince who is tricked by an evil sorcerer and his adventures with vengeful djinns, beautiful princesses and Aladdin and his magic lamp across the mythical lands of Waq-Waq, China and Baghdad.

A critical and popular success at the time of its release, the film uses paper cut-outs, multiplane camera techniques and experiments on film stock with wax and sand to create the sensuous and gorgeously detailed silhouette world of Prince Achmed. More than 80 years after its debut, The Adventures of Prince Achmed still stands as one of the most enthralling and magical films created in cinematic history.

The screening of The Adventures of Prince Achmed will be accompanied with a live performance by cutting-edge Singaporean musician The Analog Girl of new music written especially for the film.

The Analog Girl photograph courtesy of The Analog Girl

The Adventures of Prince Achmedis part of the Arabian Dreams film programme of Under the Crescent Moon festival presented by the National Museum of Singapore. Don't miss the other film of the Arabian Dreams programme, The Son of the Sheik, starring the legendary Rudolph Valentino, screening on Sat 31 March 2007.