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David Lynch Diagnosed with Emphysema, Will No Longer Direct in Person

In a recent interview with the Sight and Sound magazine, David Lynch revealed he has been diagnosed with emphysema and will be resorting to directing remotely instead.

In a recent interview with the Sight and Sound magazine, David Lynch revealed he has been diagnosed with emphysema and will be resorting to directing remotely instead.

David Lynch Will No Longer Direct In Person, Diagnosed With Illness
David Lynch / Image Courtesy of Jason LaVeris via Getty Images

With a career spanning ten films, ranging from Eraserhead to Inland Empire, and creating Twin Peaks, David Lynch has always been one of cinema’s finest auteurs known for his disturbing surrealist pieces. Most of his work tends to be driven by the subconscious, feeling like puzzles with parts missing to them or being able to be interpreted in infinite ways.

It’s also no surprise that many film students and young filmmakers have been inspired by Lynch’s work, the best recent example of this is Jane Schoenbrun’s I Saw the TV Glow, which the filmmaker themselves cited David Lynch’s Twin Peaks as a huge influence on their film, and one of the most important works in their life.

Unfortunately for David Lynch, who was recently interviewed for Sight and Sound magazine’s September issue, he said that he will only be directing remotely in the future, due to being diagnosed with emphysema caused by excessive smoking.

He also adds that he can only work short distances before he’s out of oxygen. He quotes: “I’ve gotten emphysema from smoking for so long, and so I’m homebound whether I like it or not. I can’t go out… because of Covid[-19], it would be very bad for me to get sick, even with a cold.”

The filmmaker also mentioned that he doesn’t know whether his 2010 screenplay Antelope Don’t Run No More will ever get produced, but he mentions that he doesn’t know what the future will bring and that he would rather we remain hopeful. 

Lynch has also expressed his opinion about remote directing, saying: “I wouldn’t like that so much… But I would do it remotely, if it comes to it.” Even if Twin Peaks: The Return was to be his finale, at least we know that it would be the best swan song for a filmmaker.

David Lynch Will No Longer Direct In Person, Diagnosed With Illness
Mulholland Drive / Image Courtesy of Universal Pictures

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Mohaned is an Egyptian aspiring filmmaker who writes articles about movies he's enthusiastic about. He currently helps coordinate the Twitter / X content for Feature First.