Sean Penn named director of year

Sean Penn will be honored as Director of the Year at the 19th Annual Palm Springs International Film Festival for "Into The Wild."

Previous winners of the festival's director award include Alejandro González Iñárritu for "Babel," Anthony Minghella for "Cold Mountain," Alexander Payne for "Sideways," and Ang Lee for "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon."

Three of those four went on to receive an Academy Award nomination for best director, so the Palm Springs festival award is a vague indicator of things to come for Penn.

His latest directorial effort, "Into the Wild," opened to critical acclaim in September after its premiere at the Telluride and Toronto film festivals this year. Based on Jon Krakauer's best-selling nonfiction book, the film was written and directed by Penn and stars Emile Hirsch, Hal Holbrook, Catherine Keener, Marcia Gay Harden and William Hurt.

Penn's feature film directorial debut came with 1991's "The Indian Runner," which he also wrote and produced, followed by "The Crossing Guard" in 1995, which he also wrote and produced. His third film as director/producer was 2001's "The Pledge," starring Jack Nicholson.

Penn won an Oscar for best actor in 2003 for his role in "Mystic River." He has also been presented with a Modern Master award at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival in 2002, and in 2003 he received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the San Sebastian International Film Festival.

Previously announced honorees for the Palm Springs festival awards gala, to be hosted by Mary Hart, are Marion Cotillard, Emile Hirsch (for his role in Penn's film) and Nikki Blonsky.

The Palm Springs International Film Festival was founded in 1990 by then-mayor Sonny Bono.

An awards gala honoring Penn will be held on Jan 5 at the Palms Springs Convention Center.