Director David Lynch heaped praise on Poland’s Plus CamerImage festival as he picked up a lifetime achievement award, ScreenDaily said.

Walking on stage at the Opera Nova in Bydgoszcz to the Twin Peaks theme, the surrealist director of Blue Velvet and Mulholland Drive was met with a standing ovation by the 1,000-strong audience.

“This is so moving,” said Lynch. “The CamerImage gang have been my friends since 2000 – even though when I first came here they lost my luggage.

“I would like to offer my congratulations to this great festival on its 20th anniversary. Every year this festival gets better and better.”

Earlier in the opening ceremony, which showcased the juries and entries for this year’s coveted Golden Frog awards, Lynch was presented the key to the city by mayor Rafal Bruski.

“In Poland, the symbol of being a good host is to give the keys to one’s own house,” said the mayor. “In the hands of David Lynch, the city will be safe… and I can spend the time watching movies.”

Accepting the key, Lynch warned: “It is dangerous to give me the keys to your city – but this is beautiful.”

The director, whose last feature was Inland Empire in 2006, is attending the festival for a retrospective of his films. An exhibition of his lithographs is also being shown as part of the event.