Mary Sweeney

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Mary Sweeney is an award-winning American film editor and film producer best known for collaborating with the avant-garde American film director, David Lynch. Lynch has been said to be obsessed with the macabre and mundane[1] and to have a "voice is so unique (his) work cannot be classified into a specific genre."[2] Sweeney has worked with Lynch on several critically acclaimed films and television series, most notably editing cult hits Twin Peaks, Lost Highway, and Mulholland Dr. for Lynch's Asymmetrical Productions[3] company. Sweeney also served as co-screenwriter of 1999's The Straight Story with John Roach.

Sweeney has also been David Lynch's longtime domestic partner and the couple eventually married in 2006 (though for mysterious reasons, the couple filed for divorce one month to the day after)[4] citing "irreconcilable differences". Together the couple has one son born in 1992, Riley Sweeney Lynch. A long-time Hollywood resident, Sweeney is also head of The Sullivan Canyon Riders Club, a Los Angeles equestrian club which has worked to prevent land used by horse riders from being sold to developers, an effort which has been financially supported by well-known film director, Steven Spielberg and actress Kate Capshaw.[5]

Contents

Mary Sweeney started out as an assistant editor working for film editor Duwayne Dunham on such films as Blue Velvet, Wild at Heart and the television series Twin Peaks. She quickly moved up and became director David Lynch's first choice film editor. As their working and off-screen relationships developed, Lynch promoted Sweeney to be one of the producers on his films (largely handling the post-production end of each show). [6]

In 1994, Sweeney read an article in the New York Times about an old man who drove a tractor cross country just to see his ailing brother. The article piqued Sweeney's interest enough that she passionately worked to option the rights to it for over four years.[6] Sweeney went on a journey to recreate the original tractor owner, Alvin Straight's route, in which she met several of the same people Straight had met; this helped Sweeney and co-screenwriter, John Roach to draft their screenplay. When Sweeney first mentioned the idea to her partner David Lynch, he was initially disinterested in the project. After Lynch read the script, however, he changed his mind. Lynch decided to direct the film, which would be his "straightest" narrative film to date.

  • "There is a natural crossover between producing and editing, particularly on David's projects because I am aware of and involved with them from the very beginning. We have a line producer who comes on for the duration of the shoot, and then I take over as producer. Very often, particularly in independent films, the editor ends up doing all the producing work in post-production because there is nobody else to do it. I like having that kind of control in post-production. I am involved with a film from inception all the way to distribution." [6]
  • "As we get closer to the end, he'll (David Lynch) actually sit with me during editing when he wants to work on something specific, but he gets too antsy for the most part and it's often much easier for me to edit without someone watching over my shoulder." [6]
  • "Lost Highway is a very interesting synthesis of different films he's made. David's developing his art and his language. With each film I've worked on with him, his demands on the camera have become more sophisticated and dynamic. He really thinks hard about how he can make the simplest scene interesting, both visually and emotionally."[3]

  • 2002 *Mulholland Dr. (nominated) AFI Film Award - "AFI Movie of the Year" (shared with producers Alain Sarde, Neal Edelstein, Michael Polaire, Tony Krantz)
  • 2002 *Mulholland Dr. (won) BAFTA Film Award - "Best Editing"
  • 2000 *The Straight Story (nominated) Independent Spirit Award "Best Feature" (shared with Neal Edelstein) and "Best First Screenplay" (shared with John Roach)


  1. ^ Salon.com People "David Lynch"
  2. ^ "The Rewind Forums - Mulholland Drive"
  3. ^ a b "The City of Absurdity: Lost Highway Interviews and Articles"
  4. ^ "Lynch Files for Divorce" IMDB News 14 June 2006 (WENN)
  5. ^ "Spielberg Donates $12 Million to Horsies" - 11 July 2002 (WENN) IMDB news
  6. ^ a b c d "Interview with Mary Sweeney, Editor, 'The Straight Story'" By Elina Shatkin, EditorsNet, October 14, 1999

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