Priit Pärn and Olga Pärn: Luna Rossa

Luna Rossa, Priit Pa¨rn and Olga Pa¨rn, 2024. Courtesy of the artists and MIYU

Few figures have shaped the landscape of contemporary animation as profoundly as Estonian artist Priit Pärn. Since the late 1960s, his surreal narratives and expressive graphic style have influenced animators worldwide—from independent auteurs to Hollywood creatives. For the last 20 years, he has worked closely with Belarusian-born animator Olga Pärn, developing a collaborative practice that breaks new aesthetic ground while dissecting the psychological, political, and technological forces of contemporary life. This evening, the two join virtually from Tallinn to present their new film Luna Rossa (2024)—a darkly humorous thriller of shifting identities, coded encounters, and the surveilling gaze of a mysterious authority—alongside two of Priit’s defining works from the 1980s—The Triangle (1982) and Breakfast on the Grass (1987), widely hailed as one of the best animated films of all time. 

Followed by a virtual conversation and audience Q&A with Priit Pärn and Olga Pärn. 35mm prints courtesy of the National Archive of Estonia. 

1982–2024, Estonia/France
Format: Digital & 35mm
In English
ca 74 mins

ABOUT THE ARTISTS

Priit Pärn is regarded as one of animation’s most original and influential voices. He initially trained as a biologist before entering the animation world through Tallinnfilm’s Joonisfilm studio in the 1970s. His films—The Triangle (1982), Breakfast on the Grass (1987), Hotel E (1992), Night of the Carrots (1998), among others—are considered defining works of the late and post-Soviet eras, earning top prizes at major festivals including Zagreb, Krakow, Valencia, and Annecy. Beyond his films, Pärn has shaped the field as an educator, serving as artistic director of the animation program at Turku School of Art and Media (1994–2007) and later leading the animation department at the Estonian Academy of Arts (2006–2019). He has been the subject of more than 40 solo exhibitions in Europe and Canada and has received 13 international lifetime achievement awards from organizations and festivals around the world. 

Olga Pärn is an award-winning animator, director, and illustrator whose work spans animation, drawing, and mixed-media techniques. Trained in graphic arts at the Belarusian State Academy of Arts and in directing at La Poudrière in France, she worked at Belarusfilm throughout the 1990s before relocating to Estonia in 2006. Since then, she has collaborated closely with Priit Pärn on a series of acclaimed films—including Life without Gabriella Ferri (2008), Divers in the Rain (2010), and Pilots on the Way Home (2014)—earning major accolades at international festivals. Her work is known for its expressive textures, psychological acuity, and darkly humorous edge. In addition to her directing practice, she has taught animation, illustration, and storyboard development in workshops and academic programs across Europe.

PROGRAM

The Triangle
Priit Pärn, 1982, Estonia, 35mm, 15 mins
Julia cooks, Victor reads his newspaper, and a peculiar little man emerges from under the stove to interrupt their domestic order.

Breakfast on the Grass
Priit Pärn, 1987, Estonia, 35mm,  25 mins
Breakfast on the Grass sketches four bleakly comic portraits of the absurdities, humiliations, and quiet fantasies of late Soviet life. Beneath its surreal metamorphoses and sharp visual gags lies a devastating study of systems of oppression and alienation everywhere.

Luna Rossa
Priit Pärn and Olga Pärn, 2024, Estonia/France, DCP, 32 mins
Luna Rossa follows the intertwined paths of four mysterious figures whose shifting identities, coded encounters, and secret desires unfold under the watchful gaze of a bureaucratic overseer. Developed over nearly four years with actors from Tallinn’s historic VAT Theatre, the film fuses motion capture, 3D puppetry, and hand-drawn animation into a striking hybrid form.

ACCESSIBILITY

Conversations at the Edge events have live captions (CART). The Gene Siskel Film Center is fully ADA accessible and its theaters are equipped with hearing loops. For other accessibility requests, please visit saic.edu/access or write cate@saic.edu

TICKETS

$14 General public
$9 Students & seniors
$8 Film Center members
$8 SAIC staff & faculty & AIC staff
FREE for SAIC students with a valid ID

All CATE programs are free for SAIC students. Unless otherwise noted, SAIC student tickets are released five days prior to showtime. Tickets must be picked up in person from the Gene Siskel Film Center box office. A student ID is required.

RESOURCE GUIDES

Conversations at the Edge’s resource guides contain articles, interviews, and other material related to upcoming artists and events. Available here.