By Cameron Lee
April 13, 2025
The Independent Picture House is celebrating the works of the late neo-noir filmmaker and artist David Lynch from now through June. This week, the theater will screen his 1986 mystery thriller Blue Velvet, which was filmed entirely in Wilmington, North Carolina. Blue Velvet earned Lynch an Academy Award nomination for Best Director and delves into the dark side of suburban America. The psychological horror film, starring Kyle MacLachlan, Isabella Rossellini, Dennis Hopper, and Laura Dern, follows Jeffrey Beaumont (MacLachlan), who stumbles upon a severed ear in his small town, leading him into a twisted investigation involving a nightclub singer (Rossellini) and a criminal (Hopper).
The film series began earlier this month with Lynch’s directorial debut, Eraserhead, followed by his 1984 film adaptation of the science fiction novel Dune. The screenings will run through June, also featuring Wild at Heart, the offbeat love story starring Nicolas Cage and Laura Dern; Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me, the haunting prequel to the cult TV show; Lost Highway, his 1997 psychological thriller; the 2001 Cannes Film Festival Award-winning Mulholland Drive; the 1980 biographical drama The Elephant Man, which earned eight Academy Award nominations; and quite possibly his most experimental work, Inland Empire.
Lynch, the surrealist avant-garde filmmaker who was also a musician and artist, passed away at the age of 78 in January. His parents met at Duke University, and he lived in Durham briefly as a child. Throughout his career, he won the prestigious Palme d’Or (Wild at Heart) and Best Director (Mulholland Drive) at the Cannes Film Festival, along with an Academy Honorary Award in 2019.
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Following the 2:30 p.m. Blue Velvet screening on Saturday, April 19, there will also be a virtual talkback with Jeff Goodwin, the makeup supervisor for the film, who created the infamous ear in the movie.
You can check out the remaining film screenings, showtimes, and ticket info here:
Dune – April 11-16
Blue Velvet – April 18-22
Wild at Heart – April 25-30
Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me – May 2 (sponsored by Petty Thieves Brewing)
Lost Highway – May 9
Mulholland Drive – May 16
The Elephant Man – May 23
Inland Empire – June 21 (one-night-only free screening in partnership with Goodyear Arts)
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