David Lynch, Internet and us all...

In 2000, I interviewed David Lynch on the future of new technologies in cinema. His visionary responses demonstrate one thing: we must trust artists. Rare Lynch clip added...

In 2000, which feels like yesterday, I directed my first film thanks to Christoph Jorg, program commissioner at Arte.

The theme? “Microcinema”—a term that, at the time, encompassed emerging technologies in cinema: digital cameras, the Internet, and digital media.

Remember: back then, downloading a single photo via email took 15 minutes, and this whole "digital cinema" potential faced skepticism.

My research spanned Cannes, Los Angeles, and San Francisco, where filmmakers, cameramen, and experts assured me that cinema’s future was digital. When David Lynch launched his website, I arranged to film him at his home with my cameraman.

The questions were straightforward. At the time, even I struggled to imagine that feature films could one day be watched on a computer. Here’s an excerpt from this rare interview—it’s unavailable on YouTube or elsewhere.

“Round the corner”

The network commissioner was thrilled with the film.

BUT.....

In France, reactions were swift and unpleasant for some, especially from “professionals.”

A few messages I received then:

“Nice film, but Lynch is off the rails. He’s rambling.”

“No way we’ll be shooting in digital anytime soon.”

“A film streamed on the Internet? Maybe by 2050, if the technology allows.”

New technologies often go in hand with innovative artists.

Many major technological revolutions in cinema and music have been driven by artists: Bergman’s digital Saraband(2003), Sinatra’s push for the LP in the 1950s, Lynch’s subscription-based streaming films in 2000, Prince’s on-demand music in 1999, Abel Gance’s widescreen Napoleon (1925), and Cameron’s DCP standard for Avatar (2009).

Lesson 1 : Artists have a natural instinct for leveraging new technologies, linking past and future through imagination and innovation—a perspective the author humbly shares.

I am guided only by my imagination, my desire to hear and see new, unique things that connect the past to the future. My days are largely devoted to this (though today the industry tends to shut out imagination, but that will be the theme of another post).

But too often, artists are infantilized and excluded from important decisions, even though they often hold the keys to seeing beyond what technology offers.

A prime example from the past is a young artist, a cartoonist, who was obsessed with animation and its potential. His name was Walt Disney.

Today, few organizations take the risk of consulting artists or inviting them to participate in the debates and choices for the present and the future. It’s a shame.

David Lynch is living proof of this.

“Round the corner”