David Lynch Portrait - H 2012
David Lynch journeyed to Lucca, Italy, one of Tuscany’s most fabled cities, to receive a career achievement award at the town’s annual film festival. “This is my first time to Tuscany,” he told the assembled press, “but already I’ve seen some buildings that are completely inspiring and thrilling. You all live in a very, very beautiful town.”
The director spoke on transcendental meditation on Sunday and then enjoyed a concert of live music from his films in the evening. A full orchestra played Angelo Badalamenti scores under the trussed roof of the 15th century Church of San Francesco while locals gathered outside to watch a live projection on the building’s limestone walls.
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While he was continuously cagey about discussing new cinema projects, he did drop some details that he’s itching to make a new film.
On the topic of Laura Dern‘s resurgence amid Oscar talk for her recent performance in Wild, Lynch said smiling that he was “filled with hope” to make another movie with the actress. He’s collaborated with Dern previously on Blue Velvet, Wild at Heart and Inland Empire.
“I love Laura Dern,” Lynch told The Hollywood Reporter. “She’s a great actress, and she’s like family to me. I don’t know about any Oscar. Many great actors and actresses don’t win an Oscar.”
Lynch, who has been nominated for four Oscars, was markedly nonchalant about America’s biggest awards ceremony. “I heard that when the Academy Awards were first started that it was the actors and directors and producers who all got together and just had a nice dinner, and they gave awards to congratulate each other on good work,” he said. “Now it’s much different, as you all know. So it’s, I think, more and more about money. And when it’s about money, it takes away the value.”
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The director also dropped hints about a possible collaboration with composer Angelo Badalamenti. “Angelo is like my brother, and I want to work with Angelo again,” he said. “Right now we don’t have a project, but hopefully soon we will.”
Lynch, who started out as an artist and has been working more as a visual artist lately, said that he currently identifies most as a “painter.” His first major retrospective is currently on view at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, and Lucca is hosting an installation of his work. He’s now working on a new series of lithographs at Idem Studio in Paris using the same stones that artists such as Matisse, Picasso, Miro and Chagall all used in the rue du Monparnasse house.
“I think that people can do many, many things and more and more, this is the way it’s going,” he said. “So if you’re into cinema, it’s entirely possible you’d also be into still photography, into painting, into music, into experimental sound, writing. You know, the world is open, wide-open for us all.”
But that doesn’t mean another film project isn’t in Lynch’s near future. “No, no, no,” he said. “I’m open to cinema for sure.” But for the time being, fans will have to keep holding their breath for another film announcement.
Twitter: @Aristonla
