The season will run from the 1st January until the 1st February 2026.
The BFI has confirmed details on what to expect from its David Lynch: The Dreamer season, which will pay tribute to the multidisciplinary artist.
Aiming to honour his legacy, the programme is a chance for reflection a year on from his passing and what would have been his 80th birthday.
The season, curated by BFI Lead Programmer Kimberley Sheehan and Head of Cinema Programme Justin Johnson, includes his great masterpieces screening at BFI Southbank, BFI IMAX as well as a selection available on BFI Player, his innovative short films and playful digital experiments, documentary portraits, including a preview of new documentary Welcome to Lynchland plus a series of contextual events and a Twin Peaks inspired immersive installation.
Introducing the season on 7th January THE CINEMATIC VISIONS OF DAVID LYNCH will include contributions from writer Simran Hans (writer and guest host for Mubi’s Ladies of Lynch Podcast) and author Tom Huddleston (author of David Lynch: His Work, His World), will consider the defining elements of Lynch’s original visual style and sound design, alongside his work outside of cinema and his immense influence on a generation of artists and filmmakers.
At the BFI Southbank, there will be screenings of ERASERHEAD (1977), THE ELEPHANT MAN (1980), including a screening introduced by actor and filmmaker Dexter Fletcher on 27 January, DUNE (1984), BLUE VELVET (1986), WILD AT HEART (1990), LOST HIGHWAY (1997), THE STRAIGHT STORY (1999), MULHOLLAND DRIVE (2001) and INLAND EMPIRE (2006). There’s also the opportunity to experience Lynch’s universe on the UK’s biggest screen at BFI IMAX with screenings of ERASERHEAD (11 January), BLUE VELVET (12 January), WILD AT HEART (18 January), LOST HIGHWAY (1 February) and MULHOLLAND DRIVE (25 January).
Throughout his career, Lynch also harboured an enthusiasm for short-form work and animation, THE SHORT FILMS OF DAVID LYNCH on 11 January will present six of his shorts, including The Alphabet (1968) and The Grandmother (1970) followed by all eight episodes of his animated web series DUMBLAND (2002).
Audiences will also get to immerse themselves in the world of TWIN PEAKS. The BFI National Archive’s pristine 35mm print of TWIN PEAKS – ORIGINAL US PILOT (1990) was used for the BBC original broadcast in October 1990 and was a massive hit recently at the Film on Film Festival in June. The archive print will enjoy a repeat screening on 12 January introduced by the BFI National Archive’s Senior Curator Lisa Kerrigan. Lynch’s cinematic masterpiece, his TWIN PEAKS prequel, TWIN PEAKS: FIRE WALK WITH ME (1992) will include a screening on 13 January followed by a discussion about the importance of Lynch’s work to the trans community hosted by Sarah Cleary, curator of Funeral Parade presents. Plus, there is a rare screening of TWIN PEAKS: THE MISSING PIECES (2014), Lynch’s companion piece made twenty years after TWIN PEAKS: FIRE WALK WITH ME.
Further special events will include the return of Philosophical Screens series on 15 January which will take a drive down David Lynch’s LOST HIGHWAY, when Lucy Bolton, Ben Tyrer and Catherine Wheatley will navigate the twists and turns of Lynch’s neo-noir nightmare. In partnership with Stims Collective we host a relaxed screening of Lynch’s WILD AT HEART for neurodivergent audiences on 12 January, including a post screening discussion with filmmaker and Stims Collective co-founder Georgia Kumari Bradburn. Elsewhere, two relaxed Sip and Paint painting sessions, themed around TWIN PEAKS on 12 January and the Lynch “art life” on 31 January, will pay homage to the filmmaker’s first passion, painting, the creative output he always returned to. Acrylic paint and mini canvases will be provided.
Visitors are also invited to take to the dancefloor for a fusion of music and digital art projections inspired by the films and work of David Lynch at the David Lynch VJ Night on 17 January, when VJs will create a unique audiovisual experience across the dancefloor. There will also be a David Lynch Quiz on 30 January. In addition, City Lit host a four-week course, CITY LIT AT THE BFI: THE INTERPRETATIONS OF LYNCHIAN DREAMS exploring Lynch’s cinema from multiple angles. Through a range of perspectives, tutors Mary Wild and Paul Sutton will trace how Lynch’s films blur the realms of reality and dreams.
Tickets for BFI Southbank screenings are on sale to BFI Patrons on 1 December, BFI Members on 2 December, and to the general public on 4 December.