The films in the Twin Peaks programme are united not only by the illustrious names of their creators—filmmakers who occupy the front row of the international festival circuit—but above all by a keen sense of cinema as a tool for artistic exploration of the world.

However different their backgrounds, both Christian Petzold and Richard Linklater belong not only to the same generation (both born in 1960) but to the same lineage of independent filmmakers. They are acutely attuned to social realities and collective moods, yet never dissolve into the mainstream, preserving their individuality and unmistakable authorial voice.

The same can be said of Bi Gan—almost thirty years their junior—and of Oliver Laxe: young filmmakers who give us hope that the auteur tradition in world cinema will continue to evolve.