A film festival is currently running at the Reykjavík City Library on Tryggvagata 15 where silhouette animations by the German filmmaker Lotte Reininger are screened in cooperation with the Goethe Institute.
Reininger (1899-1981) is famous for having created the first full-length animation that has been preserved, The Adventures of Prince Achmed, which is largely based on One Thousands and One Nights. It premiered in 1927.
In addition to the film on Prince Achmed, Reininger made a number of shorter animations, most of which are based on fairytales, among others on well-known fairytales by the Brothers Grimm, in addition to making films to Mozart’s operas.
According to a press release, Reininger had a unique technique; she specialized in silhouette cutouts in the spirit of Chinese theater. Her movies are therefore not cartoons but animated silhouettes.
The Reininger festival will run through October 24. The library will be closed on October 22, though. Admission is free and all are welcome.
