David Cronenberg

David Cronenberg has firmly established his reputation as an authentic auteur through his uniquely personal body of work as both a director and writer. Since beginning his career in underground filmmaking and the horror genre, Cronenberg has developed a dramatic oeuvre of outstanding depth and breadth, and consequently has been lauded as one of the world’s most influential directors. His films have earned critical praise and recognition internationally. In 1991, Cronenberg’s Naked Lunch was selected for the Berlin International Film Festival, where eXistenZ won the Silver Bear in 1999. His films Crash, Spider, A History of Violence, Cosmopolis, Maps to the Stars, Crimes of the Future, and The Shrouds were all selected for the Official Competition at the Festival de Cannes, where Crash received the Jury Special Prize. In 2006, the Cannes Directors’ Fortnight awarded him its Carrosse d’Or lifetime achievement award. The Venice International Film Festival honored him with its Golden Lion for lifetime achievement in 2018 and the Toronto International Film Festival presented him with the Norman Jewison Career Achievement Award in 2024. In recognition of Cronenberg’s contributions to art and culture, he was made a Companion of the Order of Canada and was awarded France’s Légion d’honneur.