David Lynch is getting an honorary Oscar and it’s about time

David Lynch is definitely an acquired taste but no one can deny his talent for creating unique and memorable cinema. Now, the Academy is giving this eccentric master his due.

David Lynch is an auteur. He goes his own way and does his own thing. The joy for him in filmmaking comes with the freedom of creative expression and express himself he does.

His filmography is vast and varied. He first captured Hollywood’s attention in 1980 with his adaptation of The Elephant Man. Oddly enough, Mel Brooks was the producer on that masterpiece and thankfully he saw something in the young director and took a chance on him. We are grateful that he did.

Embraced by the Academy for this beautiful and moving film captured in black and white, Lynch garnered two Oscar nominations for Best Director and Adapted Screenplay. Then you have the brilliantly low-key, The Straight Story about a man who makes a monumental trek across Iowa and Wisconsin on a tractor to be with his dying brother. Along with The Elephant Man, these two efforts may be the only conventional movies that David has directed.

Now, it would seem that Hollywood has finally decided to honor his cinematic achievements with a Governor’s Award. According to Deadline, the director is in good company with fellow award recipients, actors Wes Studi and Geena Davis and filmmaker, Lina Wertmuller.