Industrial Contexts – Mulholland Drive was initially filmed as a 90-minute television pilot in 1999, although executives that were shown the pilot hated it and immediately cancelled the series. David Lynch subsequently gained the funding from production company StudioCanal to conduct reshoots in order to complete the pilot as a feature film, with the reshoots taking place over a year after initial filming began.

Socio-Political and Cultural Contexts – Lynch uses Mulholland Drive to criticise how young women are mistreated by misogynistic executives in the filmmaking industry, which was important in a time in which higher-ups in Hollywood included the likes of Harvey Weinstein. Additionally, he reinforces his frustration with the industry through the character of Adam, a director who loses his creative freedom at the hands of executives who call the shots.