Born on August 26, 1946 in Tallinn.
Graduated from secondary school in Tapa in 1965.
Graduated from the Department of Biology at the University of Tartu in 1970.
Worked at the Botanical Garden of Tallinn as a plant ecologist from 1970 to 1976.
Worked as an art director and animated film director at the Joonisfilm animated film department of Tallinnfilm Studio since 1976. Works at Eesti Joonisfilm Studio since 1994.
Has been active as a caricaturist and illustrator since the end of the 1960’s. He has done more and more work as a freelance graphic artist since the early 1980’s. Pärn has had over 30 solo exhibitions in various European countries and Canada. Pärn had a solo exhibition at the Kumu Museum of Art in 2007.
Pärn has also worked as a teacher since 1990. He has taught at film schools in Finland, Norway, Germany, Switzerland, Spain, Belgium, Holland, France and England. He has also held briefer workshops in Australia and Canada. Pärn served as the artistic director of the animation department of the Turku School of Art and Media in Finland from 1994 to 2007. Pärn was the director of the animation department of the Estonian Academy of Art from 2006 to 2019.
Pärn has received eight lifetime achievement awards: from ASIFA and from different film festivals over the world: International Film Festival Etiuda&Anima (Poland), Fredrikstad Animation Festival (Norway), World Festival of Animated Film Zagreb Animafest (Croatia), Luna de Valencia Award from Valencia International Film Festival Cinema Jove (Spain), The Dragon of Dragons Award from Krakow Film Festival (Poland), Lifetime Achievement Award from Estonian Cultural Endowment and Animakom Award from Bilbao International Animation Community Festival (Spain).
Pärn has participated as a member of the jury in over 50 international animated and short film festivals.
Pärn has made 12 animated films of longer duration as director, scriptwriter and art director, as well as a host of short films, commercials and so on.
Pärn is a member of the European Film Academy as of 2008.
Animated films:
1977 IS THE EARTH ROUND? (10 min.)
1978 AND PLAYS TRICKS (10 min.)
- Best Children’s Film at the 2nd Varna Animated Film Festival, Bulgaria, 1981
1980 SOME EXERCISE IN PREPARATION FOR INDEPENDENT LIFE (10 min.)
- 2nd Prize at the 15th USSR Film Festival, 1981
1982 THE TRIANGLE (15 min.)
1984 TIME OUT (10 min.)
- Grand Prix from the Varna Animated Film Festival, Bulgaria, 1985
- 1st Prize from the International Animated Film Festival Cinanima in Espinho, Portugal, 1985
- Best Animated Film at the Bilbao Short Film Festival, Spain, 1985
1987 BREAKFAST ON THE GRASS (25 min.)
- Grand Prix from the XVIII Tampere Short Film Festival, Finland, 1988
- Grand Prix, Best Film in category C and Critics’ Prize from the VIII Animated Film Festival in Zagreb, Croatia, 1988
- 3rd Audience Prize from the Short Film Festival in Bonn, Germany, 1988
- 1st Prize in category C from the 1st Animated Film Festival in Shanghai, 1988
- Grand Prix from the International Animated Film Festival Cinanima in Espinho, Portugal, 1988
- 1st Prize from the XXI USSR Film Festival in Baku, 1988
- Best Animated Film Award from the Melbourne Film Festival, Australia, 1988
- 3rd Prize from the VIII Odense Film Festival, Denmark, 1989
- Nika – the highest prize of the USSR film industry, 1989
1988 Commercial spot SWITCH OFF THE LIGHTS
- Bronze Lion from the 35th Cannes International Advertising Festival, France, 1988
1992 HOTEL E (29 min.)
- Baden-Württemberg State Prize from the International Festival of Animated Film in Stuttgart, Germany, 1992
1995 1895 (co-director Janno Põldma) (30 min.)
- 3rd Prize, awarded by the festival’s youth jury at the 11th International Odense Film Festival, 1995 (Denmark)
- Russian ASIFA Prize from the 3rd International Animated Film Festival Krok 95, Kiev, Ukraine, 1995
- Russian Critics’ Prize from the 3rd International Animated Film Festival Krok 95, Kiev, Ukraine, 1995
- Prize in Class C, awarded by the International Jury from the 19th International Animated Film Festival Cinanima in Espinho, Portugal, 1995
- Estonian Film Critics (FIPRESCI) Prize for the best film of the year, 1995
- Estonian Cultural Endowment’s annual Johannes Pääsuke Award, 1995
- Republic of Estonia’s National Cultural Award for the film “1895” in the year 1995
- Festival Jury Special Prize from the Baltic Film & TV Festival in Bornholm, Denmark, 1996
- Best Film Award from the Oslo Animation Festival, Norway, 1996
- Grand Prix from the 12th 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 from the 6th International Film Forum Arsenals in Riga, Latvia, 1996
- Best Design Award from the Ottawa International Animation Festival, Canada, 1996
- Grand Prix from the Pärnu Film Days Festival, Estonia, 1997
- Prize for Outstanding Film in General Category from the ’97 Seoul Animation Expo, South-Korea, 1997
1995 Commercial spot DELISS
1996 Commercial spot ABSOLUT PÄRN
- Diploma from the International Animated Film Festival Krok 97, Kiev, Ukraine, 1997
- Diploma from the Holland Animated Film Festival in Utrecht, Holland, 1996
1996 FREE ACTION (30 sec.; for MTV)
1998 NIGHT OF THE CARROTS (30 min.)
- Grand Prix from the Ottawa International Animation Festival, Canada, 1998
- Special Jury Prize from the Oslo Animation Festival, Norway, 1999
- 2nd Prize Silver Dove from the 42nd International Leipzig Festival of Documentary and Animated Film, Germany, 1999
- 1st Prize from the World Animation Celebration Competition, Los Angeles, USA, 2000
2002 ASIFA Lifetime Achievement Award
2003 KARL AND MARILYN (24 min.)
- Best International Film at the FAN International Animation Festival, 23-26 October 2003, UK
- Special Jury Award from the 16th World Festival of Animated Films in Zagreb, Croatia, 2004
- Obliqua Award from the Barcelona 7th International Short Film Festival, Spain, 2004
- Special Mention of the Jury from the I Castelli Animati International Animated Film Festival 9th Edition, Italy, 2004
- Grand Prix “Golden Jabberwocky” from the 12th International Film Festival “Etiuda & Anima 2005”, Poland, 2005
2003-2005 FRANK AND WENDY (Screenplay P. Pärn, Dir. P. Tender, Ü. Pikkov, K. Jancis / 7 x 9.5 min / 75 min.)
- Estonian Cultural Endowment annual award for the best animated film of the year, Estonia, 2005
- Eesti Ekspress cultural supplement Areen annual award, Estonia, 2005
- Best film of the day at the Estonian Film Days Festival (2nd film – Hungerburger), Estonia, 2005
- Prize for the Best Television Film and Serial from the AniFest International Festival of Animation Films, Czech Republic, 2005
- Audience Prize for Best Animated Film from the Fest-Festival de Cinema & Video, Espinho, Portugal, 2006
2004 lifetime achievement prize at the Fredrikstad Animation Festival, Norway
2007 I FEEL A LIFELONG BULLET IN THE BACK OF MY HEAD (co-director Olga Marchenko / 2 min. / 35 mm / a short story from the animated film BLACK CEILING)
- Estonian Cultural Endowment award for best film of the year
- Golden Dinosaur Award from the Cracow Film Festival for outstanding artistic and educational work, Poland 2007
- Zagreb Film Festival Lifetime Achievement Award, Croatia 2008
2007 Life Achievement Award, Etiuda and Anima, Poland
2008 Life Achievement Award, Animafest, Croatia
2008 LIFE WITHOUT GABRIELLA FERRI (co-director Olga Marchenko / 44 min.)
- Grand Prix from the 12th Holland International Animated Film Festival, Utrecht, Holland 2008
- Grand Prix and the Anoba nomination for the Best Animated Film in the Baltic and Nordic countries from the Animated Dreams Animated Film Festival, Estonia 2008
- Scottish Leader Estonian Film Award, Black Nights Film Festival 2008, Estonia 2008
- Estonian Cultural Endowment’s award for Best Animation, 2008
- Jury Special Mention, Animafest, Croatia 2009
- ANOBA prize, 2009
- Grand Prix, I Castelli Animati , Italia, 2009
- Jury Special Prize, MONSTRA IAFF, Portugal 2011
2010 DIVERS IN THE RAIN (co-director Olga Pärn / 23 min.)
- Silver Jabberwocky prize from the 16th Etiuda&Anima Film Festival, Poland 2009
- Don Quixote – International Federation of Film Societies Award from the16th Etiuda&Anima Film Festival, Poland 2009
- Grand Prix from Anima, the International Animation Film Festival of Brussels, Belgium 2010
- Grand Prix from the MONSTRA – Lisbon Animation Film Festival, Portugal 2010
- Best Sound Track award from the MONSTRA – Lisbon Animation Film Festival, Portugal 2010
- Grand Prix from the World Festival of Animated Film Animafest Zagreb, Croatia 2010
- Hiroshima Prize from the Hiroshima International Animation Festival, Japan 2010
- Best Story from Fantoche International Animation Festival, Switzerland 2010
- Best Sound from Fantoche International Animation Festival, Switzerland 2010
- Best Short Film award Silver Wolf from Festival du Nouveaux Cinema, Canada 2010
- Grand Prix from International Animation Festival Tofuzi, Georgia 2010
- Best Nordic and Baltic Short Film award from the Fredrikstad Animation Festival, Norway 2010
- Prize for the Best Medium Length Film from the International Animated Film Festival CINANIMA, Portugal 2010
- Award for the Best Story from the Animated Dreams, Estonia 2010
- Grand Prix from International Animation Festival Anifest, Czech Republic 2011
- Best International Short Film from International Animation Festival Anifilm, Czech Republic 2011
- Special Distinction for the Best Direction from International Animation Festival Animanima, Serbia 2011
- Grand Prix from International Animation Festival Krok, Ukraine 2011
2012 La Luna de Valencia Award, CINEMA JOVE, Spain
2014 PILOTS ON THE WAY HOME (co-director Olga Pärn / 16 min. / DCP)
- Best Sound Design award from International Animation Festival Animage, Brazil 2014
- Grand Prix from Fredrikstad Animation Festival, Norway 2014
- Best Sound Design award from animated films festival Animated Dreams, Estonia 2014
- Estonian Cultural Endowment award for best film of the year 2014
- „Silver Pegasus“ award from International Animated Films Festival Animator, Poland 2015
- Jury Special Prize from International Animation Festival Krok, Ukraine 2015
- Estonian State Culture Award of the year 2014
2015 The Dragon of Dragons Award from Krakow Film Festival (Poland)
2016 THE EYELESS HUNTER. A KHANTY STORY (co-director Olga Pärn / 4 min.)
2017 SUMMER – Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons Animation (co-director Olga Pärn / 11 min.)
2018 Lifetime Achievement Award from Estonian Cultural Endowment
2021 Animakom Award from Bilbao International Animation Community Festival, Spain
2023 Estonian National Lifetime Achievement Award for Culture
2024 LUNA ROSSA (co-director Olga Pärn / 33 min.)