The famous Estonian Composer received this year's first Lifetime Achievement Award
Rannap, who celebrated his 70th birthday this year, was recognized primarily for his
innovative music, which shaped Estonian animation of the early 1970s influenced by
pop art. He has created the score for three significant cartoons of that time: Rein
Raamat's films Lend and Värvilind and Ando Keskküla's Lugu jänesepojast.
Art scholar and critic Andreas Trossek has written about Rannap: "The rock-like
background music he wrote for the film synchronized the design and sound into a
generational expression of the youth culture of the late 1960s”.
An LP released in 2023 by Raadio Kohila Records, Anima POP. Music from Estonian
animated films 1965-1986, says the following about Rannap's animation music: "As
the leader of the national prog-rock flagship Ruja, Rannap was the first choice in the
early 1970s to create the soundtrack for the animated films of trendy young artists
Leo Lapin and Ando Keskküla. The cartoons created with their participation were
inspired by psychedelic aesthetics, more dynamic and colorful than before. Also more
contrasting - their ups, downs and turns are also reflected in Rannap's accompanying
music, where by using jazz and baroque pop techniques, he was able to capture
sounds more broadly than in front of a rock audience.
Rannap has written music for several other documentaries and feature films, for
example Peeter Urbla's short film Promenaad included in the film cassette
Karikakramäng, as well as for the same author's film Šlaager.
The laureate himself highlights three things from his film music creation:
"Firstly: Lend, with music recorded before filming began in the spring of 1972,
turned out to be very innovative, rock music and all, because of its youth; has a
surprisingly emotional effect on myself - even today. In the same spirit, Värvilind
and Lugu jänesepojast were also made there.”
Secondly: “Šlaager - many songs in different genres, including hard rock. The song
recordings there could probably qualify as the first music videos in the entire
territory of the USSR"
The laureate of the second lifetime achievement award, which
is traditionally a foreign filmmaker, is announced at the Festival closing ceremony.
The Black Nights Film Festival will be held from the 3rd until the 19th of November
this year.