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Though appreciation for the work of David Lynch continues to grow, his films were often treated as an acquired taste, so those who were able to see the value in his often horrific, confounding material were particularly important to him. Such was the relationship with Cannes Film Festival Director Thierry Fermaux, who programmed Lynch’s “Mulholland Drive” at the festival in 2001 during his first year as artistic director. Lynch would go on to receive Best Director from the Cannes jury that year for the film.
“It played at 10:30 p.m. and it received an incredible ovation, even if people didn’t understand everything about it,” said Fremaux in a recent tribute (as per Variety). “They felt that it was a unique movie, and with the two actresses… It was just an instant classic.”
Fremaux went on to share how he came to appreciate Lynch as a human being the following year when the visionary auteur served as president of the jury. During a meeting in Los Angeles to prepare for this responsibility, Lynch asked Fremaux how the rest of the jury would be selected.
“I told him, ‘It’s us, it’s the Cannes Film Festival, but of course, if you ever have an enemy or people you don’t want on the jury, you have to tell us,'” Fremaux told Variety. “And he said, ‘I don’t have any enemies, but even if I did, I wouldn’t forbid them to be on the jury.'”
Fremaux added, “I knew right away that he was a generous guy. We prepared everything, we saw each other during the calm. And then, if I tell you the truth, we never left each other’s side.”
Lynch’s jury awarded “The Pianist” the Palme d’Or, an accolade Lynch received in 1990 for “Wild at Heart,” but Fremaux’s relationship with Lynch would continue on. They would meet up in Los Angeles and Paris, where Lynch had a lithography studio, for dinners and deep conversations about “cinema and cinephilia.” Fremaux finally got him back to Cannes to debut “Twin Peaks: the Return” in 2017, reinforcing Lynch’s belief the French were true champions of cinema.
“One day, while we were having dinner at the Café de Flore, he said to me, ‘When cinema dies, France will be the last country where it will breathe.’ He admired the way France defended and continues to defend artists and independence,” said Fremaux. “In fact, his great comrade was Alain Sarde, who produced his films.”
Fremaux and Lynch would continue to correspond with one another via email and even thousands of miles apart, Fremaux could tell how “ready for friendship” he was despite his work implying some kind of “tormented” soul.
Lynch passed away on Wednesday, January 15 after years suffering from emphysema.
English (US) ·