On Saturday, "HAS Presents: Olga & Priit Pärn" will feature two films the couple co-directed: 2008's "Life Without Gabriella Ferri" and 2010's "Divers in the Rain."

The couple's latest film, 2024's "Luna Rossa," is also competing in the festival's Feature Competition, with Saturday's screening marking its Japanese premiere. The 32-minute Estonian-French co-production is one of five films selected for the competition.

Produced by Estoia's Joonisfilm and French studio MIYU Productions, "Luna Rossa" has been selected for more than 50 international festivals and won seven awards, including best animated film at the Estonian Film and Television Awards (EFTAs) and the Cultural Endowment of Estonia's prize for best animated film in 2024.

On Sunday, "HAS Presents: Priit Pärn" will focus exclusively on Pärn's early work, with a guest appearance by the animator and screenings including "Is the Earth Round?" "...And Plays Tricks," "Triangle," "Time Out," "Breakfast on the Grass" and "Hotel E."

'One of the most influential voices' in animation

Curated by Nobuaki Doi, festival selected the two Pärn programs after surveying animation filmmakers and professionals across Asia and the Pacific about their favorite short animated films from the past 120 years.

"Among the filmmakers most frequently cited in the survey, Priit Pärn stood out as one of the most influential voices," organizers said.

The Hiroshima festival continues Priit Pärn's nearly three-decade relationship with Japan, which he first visited in 1996. In 2010, he and Olga won the festival's top Hiroshima Prize in 2010 for "Divers in the Rain."

Hiroshima Animation Season (HAS) is Japan's only animation festival that qualifies films for the Academy Awards. This year's program was selected from 3,181 submissions from 110 countries, with 76 films making the cut.

HAS 2026 runs August 19–23.

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