THE FIRST ANNIVERSARY OF DAVID LYNCH’S PASSING

A year has passed since David Lynch left us. We still find it difficult to come to terms with his absence, and as time goes by it becomes ever clearer how close he was to us, how profoundly he shaped our way of seeing the world, our thinking about cinema and the very meaning of artistic creation, and therefore how deep this loss truly is. David Lynch was our dear friend, as well as a source of constant support and inspiration. For many years he helped shape the history of CAMERIMAGE, and the depth of this relationship defies words. That is why we have chosen to let images speak instead.

The entire past edition of the festival was our tribute to David, an attempt to sense his metaphysical presence through the films, sounds and gestures he left behind. His work was with us throughout every festival day. We revisited not only his most renowned works, such as Lost Highway and the cult television series Twin Peaks, but also his lesser-known, sometimes entirely unexpected endeavours, from experiments and short films, through musical projects and music videos, to his later works and documentary films showing him at work. In addition, every screening last year was preceded by short video recordings by David Lynch himself, simple, everyday messages, at times playful, at times meditative, which so vividly reflected his way of thinking and being, and which today carry a particular and deeply moving weight.

Last year’s edition also offered an opportunity to meet David Lynch’s friends and long-time collaborators, people who knew him both from film sets and from everyday life. Among those who joined us were producer Sabrina S. Sutherland, producer and screenwriter Erik Crary, screenwriter, producer and executive assistant Michael Barile, as well as Otto Urban, curator of the exhibition “Up in Flames” devoted to David Lynch’s work. We were also honoured to welcome cinematographers Peter Deming, Ron Garcia and Frederick Elmes, responsible for the visual language of many of the director’s most unforgettable images, and many others.

Together, we remembered David, sharing stories, silence and emotions, trying to come to terms with the emptiness he left behind. Although a year has passed, his presence has neither vanished nor faded. It remains vividly alive in our hearts and in our memory, in the festival he helped to shape, and in the sense that some encounters change us forever.