Washington, Sept. 1 -- Actor and film director Sean Penn is set to be the guest of honour at this year's Lumiere Festival, an event dedicated to heritage cinema, according to Variety.

It is headed by Thierry Fremaux, director of the Institut Lumiere, the Lumiere Film Festival, and the Cannes Film Festival.

Hosted in the city of Lyon, the birthplace of the Lumiere brothers, the festival celebrates classic films and honours iconic directors and actors every year.

Penn will present his 2007 film 'Into the Wild', which earned two Oscar nominations in 2008. The film, "inspired by the true story of Christopher McCandles, stars Emile Hirsch as a college graduate from an affluent upbringing who decides to abandon his privileged life and ventur...