24 Frames Per Second: Lotte Reiniger - Pioneer of Animation
24 Frames Per Second: Lotte Reiniger - Pioneer of Animation
Between Art and Exile - Lotte Reiniger and the World's First Animated Film
24 Frames Per Second: Lotte Reiniger - Pioneer of Animation
Biographical Novel by Rike Reiniger
Berlin 1926: The Volksbühne is overflowing. Actresses, film directors, dancers, and political writers crowd into the hall to see an extraordinary fairy tale film. Lotte Reiniger presents "The Adventures of Prince Achmed" – the first feature-length animated film in history. It is a sensation.
In the culturally vibrant Berlin of the Weimar Republic, she becomes famous overnight with her delicate silhouette animations. But her success has its downsides: she conceals her love for a woman and follows her artistic dream into restless exile.
"Stories don't have to end this way," Lotte thinks, alone in front of the theater. As the Spree flows dark beneath her and a train cuts through the night, a seagull takes flight. Perhaps, she thinks, stories can also fly away.
The biographical novel by Rike Reiniger tells the life of the animation pioneer Lotte Reiniger. In 1920s Berlin, she celebrates a historic success with "The Adventures of Prince Achmed": the first feature-length animated film in film history. Between art, political upheaval, and social awakening, she becomes a celebrated artist of the Weimar Republic.
Yet behind the success lie personal conflicts: her hidden love for a woman, societal pressure, and the challenges of exile. The novel combines historical facts with literary storytelling and shows the price of artistic freedom.
Publisher: KLAK Verlag
Published: February 4, 2026
Language: German
Page Count: 264 pages
ISBN: 9783911617277