Estonian panorama 2 (Priit Parn special)

Sunday August 26 5pm

See also Estonian panorama 1 (latest short films)
Saturday August 25 7pm

The animated film has played a significant cultural role in Estonia. While it might come as a surprise to many, Estonias’ animation community ranks among the best in the world. Its films, which combine surrealist wit and Estonian folklore with childlike innocence, have won awards throughout the world. Many international festivals have offered screenings in honour of Estonian animation.

We are very proud to present two programmes of films dedicated to this tiny animated nation and welcome two guests – Priit Tender and Mait Laas - who will introduce these programmes and talk about what it is that makes Estonian animation so unique.

These sessions have been made possible by the generosity of Reet Remmel and the Estonian Embassy.

Priit Parn is without doubt Estonia’s most well known animator, working as an art director and animated film director at the Joonisfilm animated film department of Tallinnfilm Studio since 1976. He is a caricaturist and illustrator and has taught at filmschools in Finland, Norway, Germany, Switzerland, Spain, Belgium, Holland and England. He has made more than 12 multi award winning films and has been described by Chris Robinson as “an illegitimate conceptual crossbreeding of Lenny Bruce, George Grosz and Jean-Luc Godard whose animated films are bitingly funny, complex explorations of the effects of ideological systems on human beings”. In 2002 he was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award from the International Animated Film Association.

Parnography
Hardi Volmer, Estonia, 52’00
BRITISH PREMIERE
Hardi Volmers documentary takes a fascinating look of Parn’s work along with that of his Estonian animator colleagues and suggests that Estonia owes its independence to its animation rather than to material revolt and revolutionary singing!

1895
Priit Parn and Janno Poldma, Estonia, 30’00
1895 is dedicated to the centenary of cinema being a picture about the life of brothers Auguste and Louis Lumiere. The film acquaints the public with so far unknown biographical facts and events from the life of the two celebrated brothers who have immortalised their names as inventors of cinematography.