The Lumière Film Festival in Lyon, a vibrant eight-day celebration of cinema, opened its doors with a grand curtain-raiser: Miloš Forman’s classic “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest.” Sean Penn, this year’s distinguished guest of honor, delivered an emotional and deeply personal speech, expressing profound humility at the occasion and reflecting on his friend and the film’s lead actor, Jack Nicholson. Penn recounted the magic of first seeing Nicholson in the film as a teenager in 1975, calling it one of the great cinematic moments of his life. He also shared his privilege of working with Nicholson twice on “The Pledge” and “Crossing Guard,” marveling that the iconic McMurphy had worked alongside him.

Penn emphasized the enduring quality of “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest,” noting its relevance even for today’s easily bored younger audiences. When questioned by Lumière director Thierry Frémaux about the possibility of making such films currently, Penn acknowledged a long-standing “culture of complaint” regarding cinema’s direction. However, he optimistically pointed to independent directors creating films like “Manas” and the Cannes Grand Prix winner “Sentimental Value,” both of which he was presenting at the festival, as proof that impactful cinema is still very much possible. Penn’s packed schedule in Lyon also included presenting a new subtitled copy of his 2007 hit “Into the Wild” and hosting a masterclass.

The opening ceremony itself was a spectacle in the vast, sold-out 5,000-seat Tony Garnier show hall, a key festival venue. Penn, momentarily overwhelmed by the scale, echoed the sentiment of many first-time attendees. Director Scott Cooper, premiering his new film “Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere,” praised such festivals, prompting Jeremy Allen White, who stars as The Boss in Cooper’s film, to exclaim, “Lyon, the birthplace of cinema!” True to tradition, the festival honored its 800 volunteers before a diverse array of celebrities, including Taiwanese actor and filmmaker Shu Qi, Laika Studios head Travis Knight, Costa-Gavras, Valeria Golino, Dominique Blanc, and Bertrand Bonello, officially opened the festival in a joyous, unanimous declaration.

Adding another significant development to the festival’s landscape, U.K.-based repertory powerhouse Park Circus confirmed a new French distribution deal for Warner Bros.’ classic film library. This marks a brand-new territory for Park Circus in its Warner Bros partnership, aligning France with its existing U.K. and other regional agreements. The arrangement underscores the growing confidence major studios place in Park Circus, which also formally partnered with the International Classic Film Market (MIFC) for the first time this year, an event running alongside the Lumière Film Festival from October 14-17.

Doug Davis, CEO of Park Circus, highlighted the timing as opportune, noting the increasing strength of both the festival and MIFC, with more delegates and guests. Park Circus’s mission to bring classic films back to the big screen, “primarily where they belong,” was evident in its 24-title lineup for Lumière. This included titles like Michael Mann’s “Heat” and “Thief,” presented in 4K restorations as part of Mann’s Lumière Prize tribute, and Sean Penn’s “Into the Wild,” screened in a new, French-subtitled copy financed by Park Circus for wider circulation in French-speaking territories. Over a dozen films by Martin Ritt, such as “The Spy Who Came in From the Cold” and “Paris Blues,” were also part of a tribute to the iconic Hollywood director. “Heat,” celebrating its 30th anniversary, was slated to close the festival with its new 4K restoration.

Davis also shed light on the robust demand for heritage films, which surged during the pandemic and Hollywood strikes as multiplexes sought content. This demand, he happily reported, has not diminished. The revival attracts not only older audiences but also younger viewers, thanks to savvy social media promotion on platforms like Letterboxd and TikTok, turning classic film viewing into a cultural trend akin to vinyl records. Park Circus views its role as both cultural and commercial, aiming for responsible growth in expanding the audience for the theatrical experience of classic films, while also helping exhibition partners attract, retain, and delight new audiences globally. The Lumière Film Festival continued its run in and around Lyon until October 19.