David Lynch thrills the Auditori during Sitges 2020's closing ceremony

The screening of 'The Elephant Man' on its 40th anniversary and the virtual presentation of the Grand Honorary Award to David Lynch bring Sitges' most except atypical edition to a close 

The 53rd Sitges International Fantastic Film Festival of Catalonia reaches its grand finale at Sunday's closing gala ceremony, rounding off eleven days of one of the world's best line-ups at the most unique and exceptional edition in its entire history. A gala that began with the acknowledgement of an unparalleled figure in film history, David Lynch, who opened the ceremony and expressed his gratitude for the Sitges Festival's Grand Honorary Award from his home in Los Angeles, a presentation that was made virtually due to our current circumstances. 

This time, Lynch wasn't sitting in his usual office to announce the weather forecast like he started during the lockdown, but opened the box containing the Sitges 2020 Grand Honorary Award. An emotion-filled moment that will remain etched in our memories forever. The American filmmaker embodies the figure of the total artist, with multiple facets in the film world (director, screenwriter, producer or actor) and in other arts such as painting, music, design, photography or advertising. From Eraserhead (1977) to Twin Peaks: The Return (2017), his work is an invitation to travel through dreams, surrealism, fears and human obsessions. The Elephant Man (1980), the film bringing Sitges 2020 to a close and celebrating its 40th anniversary with its 4K remastering; Dune (1984); Blue Velvet (1986), winner of the Festival in 1986; Wild at Heart (1990); Lost Highway (1997); The Straight Story (1999); Mulholland Drive (2001) or Inland Empire (2006), all together form a masterful filmography that Sitges 2020 wanted to pay tribute to. 

The 53rd Sitges Festival also offered a moment to remember and commemorate major fantastic genre films celebrating their anniversaries. In addition to the screening of The Elephant Man’s 40th anniversary at the closing ceremony, yesterday, Saturday, we had the chance to see Total Recall 30th anniversary, and during the final day there were screenings of Mike Hodges' Flash Gordon, and Star Wars. Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back, by Irvin Kershner. Both films are celebrating their 40th anniversary this year and the Festival wanted to pay tribute to them as essential works in the history of fantastic genre.  

Watch David Lynch's award appreciation video.