Joonisfilm

Pärn’s film “Luna Rossa”, which will be released in Estonian cinemas in April, was nominated for the EFTA Best Animated Film Award

Priit and Olga Pärn’s new animated film “Luna Rossa”, which will be released in Estonian cinemas in April, has been nominated in the Estonian Film and TV Awards’ Best Animated Film category. Piret Potter’s “Hingelind” (Estonian Academy of Arts) and Andres Tenusaare’s “Väike teine” (Nukufilm) are also competing in the same category. Upon hearing this news, Priit Pärn said with  characteristic to him modesty, “Nonii” and Olga added: “Cold champagne?”.

Pärn’s “Luna Rossa” is an Estonian-French collaboration film, produced by Eesti Joonisfilm (producer Kalev Tamm) and Miyu Productions (co-producers Emmanuel-Alain Raynal and Pierre Baussaron). The film’s directors and artists are Priit and Olga Pärn, and the script was written by Priit Pärn. The film stars Karolin Jürise, Tanel Saar and Ago Soots. In addition, Priit Pärn was also the film’s choreographer together with Tanel Saar. The story takes place in Italy. The relationships between the main characters, two men and two women, are complex and intentionally presented in a way that leaves enough room for different interpretations for the viewer. At the same time, the story moves steadily towards a specific goal. In what direction, the authors refuse to reveal, leaving the joy of discovery to future viewers of the film.

“Luna Rossa” is made using the Motion capture technique, which has not been used in animated films in the Scandinavian-Baltic region so far: the movements of actors equipped with sensors are recorded on computers as 3D puppets, which are then used as the source material for creating 2D drawing  animation in TV paint program. Priit Pärn says about his new film: “You have to start with the content. Main – and now our – principle has always been that every story deserves its own visual world. The story of this film begins with a character who watches the security camera footage. This fact also sets the tone for everything that follows.”

According to Marianne Kõrver, representative of the EFTA film jury, this year’s film selection was strong and very diverse: “The jury’s decisions did not come easily, as in each category there were many outstanding and high-artistic level works to choose from. We considered content, execution, original approach and artistic integrity to be important. The discussions were long, the arguments were passionate and everyone had to compromise in their choices, but in the end we reached a unanimous decision.”

The Pärn’s film also recently participated in the prestigious Brussels International Animation Film Festival ANIMA’s “Masters of Animation” program, which was dedicated to great animation masters and screened their new works. This year’s “Masters of Animation” program offered an eclectic and bold selection of the latest works by directors who have left their mark on both the world of animation and the history of the festival. In 2010, Olga and Priit Pärna’s film “Divers in the Rain” won the festival’s ANIMA Grand Prix.

Previously, a new animated film, produced by Priit and Olga Pärn, won the Primanima Award for the best atmosphere at the Hungarian Animation Festival PRIMANIMA. The film also premiered as the only Estonian animated film in the international competition program of PÖFF Shorts. The Cultural Endowment of Estonia’s Audiovisual Arts Endowment selected “Luna Rossa” as the best animated film of 2024.

Estonia’s best film and television creators will be revealed at the EFTA gala at the Alexela Concert Hall on April 11 2025. A total of 31 awards will be presented, 16 of which in the film category and 15 in the television category.