The Writers Guild of America West announced that David Lynch’s memory will be honored by awarding him this year’s Laurel Award for screenwriting achievements. Lynch passed away on January 15th, 2025 but was able to accept the honor of this award before he died. The award is for his screenwriting for Twin Peaks and his collaborator, Kyle MacLachlan, of Twin Peaks will be receiving the award on his behalf. The Laurel Award is the highest award to receive at the guild and is for lifetime achievement while also recognizing individuals who “advanced the literature of motion picture and made outstanding contributions to the profession of the screenwriter.”

WGAW president Meredith Stiehm also praised Lynch’s screenwriting, “Writer-director David Lynch’s uncompromising vision pushed the boundaries of filmmaking.”  Lynch’s journey of filmmaking started at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts where he started as a painter. He later went to AFI Conservatory where he wrote and directed his first feature film Eraserhead in 1977. He then went on to experiment with horror which became a classic hit and was later noted in the National Film Registry. David Lynch’s talent was widely recognized in Hollywood and he went on to co-write The Elephant Man (1980) which then earned him the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay.

Later on, he went to work on the 1984 version of Dune which helped him garner more creative control for future projects. He then did a psychological thriller Blue Velvet (1986) which got him an Oscar nomination and further cemented his career. He then went on to work for television and co-created Twin Peaks with Mark Frost in 1990.

This series got multiple Emmys and a huge fan base which led to a film called Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me (1992) and was critically acclaimed by the Showtime rival Twin Peaks: The Return (2017). Throughout his career, Lynch continues the narrative and visual boundaries for filmmaking with some movies being Lost Highway (2006) and Mulholland Drive (2001).

In 2006 he produced his final film Inland Empire (2006) which was the ending of him being a good creator of storytelling. This recognition of Lynch’s work is a testament to his influence on film and television with the hopes his work will continue to inspire future generations of storytellers.