David Lynch

David Lynch, renowned alumni of AFI’s Directing class of 1970, developed ERASERHEAD as his student project. Lynch brought his experience in art school in a rough part of Philadelphia to bear on the dark, provocative narrative, and spent seven years perfecting the black-and-white surrealistic film. Though a difficult project to release commercially in 1977, ERASERHEAD’s tenacious cult following led to Lynch’s first mainstream film, THE ELEPHANT MAN (1980). Set in Victorian England and also shot in black-and-white, the film earned eight Oscar nominations, including Best Picture, Best Director and Best Screenplay (co-written by Lynch). After his first color science fiction film, DUNE (1984), Lynch shook the box office and mainstream American sensibilities with the erotic thriller, BLUE VELVET (1986). A sumptuous exploration of the rancid decadence behind a placid suburban facade, the film garnered Lynch’s second Oscar nomination for Best Director. Lynch’s penchant for groundbreaking projects continued with the unprecedented television series, TWIN PEAKS (1990), which lead to a film prequel, TWIN PEAKS: FIRE WALK WITH ME (1992). With an astute sensitivity to the oddness behind the ordinary, Lynch’s subsequent works, including WILD AT HEART (1990), LOST HIGHWAY (1997) and THE STRAIGHT STORY (1999), continued to define new avenues for cinematic tone, aesthetics and storytelling. Current projects include the film MULHOLLAND DRIVE (2001), Web series DUMBLAND and his Web site, davidlynch.com.