Sean Penn will be an honorary guest at this year’s Lumiere Festival at an event dedicated to heritage films led by Cannes boss Thierry Fremer.
The festival, held in Lyon, the birthplace of Lumiere Brothers, celebrates classic films and celebrates iconic directors and actors every year.
Penn released the 2007 film “Into the Wild,” and won two Oscar nominations in 2008. Inspired by the true story of Christopher McCandle, the film stars Emile Hirsch as a wealthy college graduate who decides to abandon his privileged life and venture into Alaska.
Lumiere Festival described “Into the Wild” as “a major film about freedom and the vastness of America.” “Instant classics from the 2000s, total beauty.”
The Oscar-winning actor and director will be next seen in Paul Thomas Anderson’s expected “Next Battle.” He will appear across the street from Leonardo DiCaprio and Benicio del Toro. Penn was also the executive producer of Worlds of War, a James Strong thriller based on the true story of world-renowned journalist and human rights activist Anna Politkovskaya.
As previously announced, Michael Mann presented the Lumiere Award at the 17th edition of the Lumiere Festival held in Lyon this fall.
Previous Lumiere winners include Hollywood’s biggest names, including Clint Eastwood, Martin Scorsese, Jane Fonda, Francis Ford Coppola, Quentin Tarantino and Tim Burton, along with European stars such as Isabel Hooppart and Catherine Deneuve.
The 17th edition of the Lumiere Festival will be held from October 11th to 19th. The full lineup will be announced in the coming weeks.
