otherpeople
David Keith Lynch (born January 20, 1946) is an
American filmmaker and
visual artist. Lynch has received three
Academy Award nominations for
Best Director, for
The Elephant Man (1980),
Blue Velvet (1986),
and
Mulholland Drive (2001).
He also received a screenplay Academy Award nomination for
The Elephant Man. Lynch has won awards at the
Cannes Film Festival and
Venice Film Festival.
Over a lengthy career, Lynch has employed a distinctive and unorthodox approach to narrative filmmaking (dubbed
Lynchian), which has become instantly recognizable to many audiences and critics worldwide. Lynch's films are known for
surreal, nightmarish and dreamlike images and meticulously crafted
sound design. Lynch's work often explores the seedy underside of small town America (particularly
Blue Velvet and
Twin Peaks), or sprawling
California metropolises (
Lost Highway,
Mulholland Drive and his latest release,
Inland Empire). Beginning with his experimental film school feature
Eraserhead (1977), he has maintained a strong
cult following despite inconsistent commercial success.