Priit Pärn

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Priit Pärn (born 26 August 1946 in Tallinn) is an Estonian animated film director and graphic artist whose films have enjoyed success among critics as well as the public at various film festivals. He is, by many, considered to be one of the most important and influential animated film directors at present.

Pärn's (who used to be working as a plant ecologist) career in animation began when he accepted Rein Raamat's proposal to make a design for The Gothamites (1974). After a brief apprenticeship in Joonisfilm, he directed his first film Is the Earth Round? in 1977.

Pärn's most important films are considered to be Triangle (1982), Breakfast on the Grass (1987), Hotel E (1991), 1895 (co-directed by Janno Põldma, 1995) and Night of the Carrots (1998).

Pärn's style is charactericed by black humour, playful surrealism and a unique graphical style. His somewhat crude style marked the departure from both Rein Raamat's overtly serious and moralizing films as well as the Disneyesque style propagated by the directors of Soyuzmultfilm. In his footsteps (and occasionally copying his style to a large degree) have followed numerous new generation Estonian film makers, most notably Ülo Pikkov and Priit Tender.

Influences of Pärn's graphical style can be also be seen in such commercial animated series as Rugrats and AAAHH!!! Real Monsters!.

In 2002 Pärn was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award from the International Animated Film Association.

Pärn has taught animation at the Arts Academy of the Turku Polytechnic Finland since 1994.

[edit] Animated films

• Is The Earth Round? (Kas maakera on ümmargune?, 1977)
• ...And Plays Tricks (...Ja teeb trikke, 1978)
  • The best children's film from 2^nd Varna Animated Film Festival, Bulgaria 1981
• Exercises In Preparation For Independent Life (Harjutusi iseseisvaks eluks, 1980)
  • 2^nd Prize at the 15^th USSR filmfestival, 1981
• The Triangle (Kolmnurk, 1982)
• Time Out (Aeg maha, 1984)
  • Grand Prix Varna Animated Film Festival, Bulgaria 1985
  • 1^st Prize from the International Animated Film Festival Cinanima in Espinho [1], Portugal 1985
  • Best animated film Bilbao Short Film Festival, Spain 1985
• Breakfast On The Grass (Eine murul, 1987)
  • Grand Prix from the XVIII Tampere Short Film Festival, Finland 1988
  • Grand Prix, best film in category C and critics prize from VIII Animated Film Festival in Zagreb, Croatia 1988
  • 3^rd Audience Prize from Short Film Festival in Bonn, Germany 1988
  • 1^st Prize in category C from 1^st Animated Film Festival in Shanghai, 1988
  • Grand Prix from the International Animated Film Festival Cinanima in Espinho [2], Portugal 1988
  • 1^st Prize from the XXI USSR Film Festival in Baku, 1988
  • Best Animated Film Award from Melbourne Film Festival, Australia 1988
  • 3^rd Prize from VIII Odense Film Festival, Denmark 1989
  • Nika - the highest prize of the USSR film industry 1989
• Commercial spot: Switch Off The Lights (Kustuta valgus, 1988)
  • Bronze Lion 35^th Cannes International Advertising Festival, France 1988
• Hotel E (1992)
  • Prize of Land Baden-Württemberg from International Festival of Animated Film in Stuttgart [3], Germany 1992
• 1895 (1995) [4] (co-director Janno Põldma [5])
  • 3^rd Prize, awarded by festival's youth jury from 11^th International Odense Film Festival 1995 (Denmark)
  • The Prize of Russian ASIFA from 3^rd International Animated Film Festival Krok 95, Ukraine 1995
  • The Russian Critics' Prize from 3^rd International Animated Film Festival Krok 95, Ukraine 1995
  • Prize in Class C, awarded by International Jury from 19^th International Animated Film Festival of Espinho Cinanima [6], Portugal 1995
  • The Estonian Film Critics (FIPRESCI) Prize for the best film of the year 1995
  • Estonian Cultural Endowment's annual Johannes Pääsuke Award 1995
  • The Republic of Estonia's State Cultural Award for the film "1895" in the year 1995
  • The Festival Jury Special Prize from Balticum Film & TV Festival [7] in Bornholm, Denmark 1996
  • Best Film Award from Oslo Animation Festival[8], Norway 1996
  • Grand Prix from 12^th World Festival of Animated Films in Zagreb, Croatia 1996
  • The Critics' Award given by the Jury of the Association of Croatian Film Critics, Croatia 1996
  • Magic Chrystal Prize 6^th International Film Forum Arsenals in Riga, Latvia 1996
  • Best DesHOPING FOR MOREign Award from Ottawa International Animation Festival [9], Canada 1996
  • Grand Prix from Pärnu Film Days, Estonia 1997
  • Prize for Outstanding Film in General Category from '97 Seoul Animation Expo, South-Korea 1997
• Commercial spot: Deliss (1995)
• Commercial spot: Absolut Pärn (1996)
  • Diploma from International Animated Film Festival Krok 97, Ukraine 1997
  • Diploma from Holland Animated Film Festival [10] in Utrecht, the Netherlands 1996
• Free Action (1996)
• Night Of The Carrots (Porgandite öö, 1998) [11]
  • Grand Prix from Ottawa International Animation Festival [12], Canada 1998
  • Special Jury Prize from Oslo Animation Festival [13], Norway 1999
  • 2^nd Prize Silver Dove from 42^nd International Leipzig Festival of Documentary and Animated Film, Germany 1999
  • 1^st Prize from World Animation Celebration Competition, Los Angeles, USA 2000
• Karl And Marilyn (Karl ja Marilyn, 2003)[14]
  • Best International Film at FAN International Animation Festival,UK 2003
  • Special Jury Award from 16th World Festival of Animated Films in Zagreb, Croatia2004

[edit] Artworks Exhibitions

• Tallinn, Estonia 1982, 1984, 1992
• Viitasaari, Finland 1988
• Tampere, Finland 1989
• Turu, Finland 1989
• Helsinki, Finland 1990, 1992, 1995
• Stuttgart, Germany 1990
• Volda, Molde, Grimstad, Norway 1990
• Odense, Denmark 1991
• Heidelberg, Germany 1992
• Karlsruhe, Germany 1992
• Hafnarfjördhur, Island 1992
• Brussels, Belgium 1993
• Annecy, France 1993
• Genève, Switzerland 1993
• Harlem, Holland 1994
• Baden, Switzerland 1995
• Genève, Switzerland 1995