Priit Pärn (born 26 August 1946 in Tallinn) is an Estonian cartoonist and animation director whose films have enjoyed success among critics as well as the public at various film festivals. Pärn formerly worked as a plant ecologist; his career in animation began when he accepted Rein Raamat's proposal to make a design for Kilplased (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 (1992), 1895 (co-directed by Janno Põldma, 1995) and Night of the Carrots (1998). Pärn's style is characterized by black humour, playful surrealism and a unique graphic 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 also be seen in such commercial animated series as Rugrats and AAAHH!!! Real Monsters! directed by Igor Kovalyov. In 2002 Pärn was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award from the International Animated Film Association, and he received Lifetime Achievement Award at the World Festival of Animated Film - Animafest Zagreb in 2008. Divers in the Rain (2010), co-directed with his wife Olga Pärn, became the most successful Estonian animated film of all time with its 18th award at KROK International Animated Film Festival in Ukraine. Pärn had taught animation at the Arts Academy of the Turku University of Applied Sciences in Turku, Finland since 1994 and now he is teaching at Estonian Academy of Arts. Animated films Is The Earth Round? (Kas maakera on ümmargune?, 1977) ...And Plays Tricks (...Ja teeb trikke, 1978) The best children's film from 2nd Varna Animated Film Festival, Bulgaria 1981 Exercises in Preparation For Independent Life (, 1980) 2nd Prize at the 15th USSR filmfestival, 1981 The Triangle (Kolmnurk, 1982) Time Out (Aeg maha, 1984) Grand Prix Varna Animated Film Festival, Bulgaria 1985 1st Prize from the International Animated Film Festival Cinanima in Espinho , 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