Sean Penn Grills Zelenskyy, Braves Fox News and Recruits Miles Teller to Rally Ukrainian Soldiers in Gonzo Documentary 'Superpower'

The day Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, 2022, Sean Penn and a documentary camera gonzo The crew found themselves on the front lines of war as they waited to see if they could interview Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Not only did he land that interview, but he kept returning to Ukraine to chronicle the horrors of war a total of six times for "Superpower," a Penn co-directed documentary that premiered to a standing ovation at the Berlin Film Festival on Friday.

In the nearly two-hour film, produced by Vice, Penn points out America's shortcomings in its support for Ukraine in the war. Zelenskyy, who is growing more comfortable with the Oscar-winning actor in a series of interviews, reveals his frustration at the lack of support in the form of high-impact weapons received from the Biden administration. /p>

In a post-screening Q&A, Penn echoed Zelenskyy's concerns. "It's not so much about whether Ukraine loses, because they won't, but… if Russia wins, we're all screwed. Just dead screwed," Penn told the crowd." As Americans, I can say we're going to have to take a level of shame for not stepping up sooner with the guns."

Penn explains at the beginning of the film how he felt like an incredulous "Polyanna" before the outbreak of war . Footage shot before the invasion of Russia shows the actor rejecting any suggestion of Russia invading the country.

In the film, Penn forms a deep bond with Zelenskyy – once an actor himself – as Ukrainian president jokes about wanting to visit Santa Monica once his nation emerges victorious. Cameras follow Penn as he tries to escape the area and, perhaps equally chillingly, enters the halls of Fox News to confront Sean Hannity. In a scene filmed last summer, Penn even takes a group of Ukrainian soldiers to a movie theater to watch "Top Gun: Maverick" and asks his friend Miles Teller on FaceTime to chat with them after the credits.

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'Superpower', which screened at Verti Music Hall, is one of the biggest premieres worldwide titles secured this year by Berlin-based artistic director Carlo Chatrian, who came under pressure to include more mainstream titles after a lackluster 2022 festival.

The premiere took place a day after Penn made a surprise appearance at the opening ceremony from Berlin on Thursday, revealing he'd come straight from Kiev, where Penn first screened the film at Zelenskyy before bringing it to Berlin. At the ceremony, Zelenskyy also appeared via satellite to greet festival-goers and encourage them not to lose faith in Ukrainians fighting for freedom.

"Superpower" was not intended as a war story. Instead, Penn and co-director Aaron Kaufman, and producer Billy Smith, set out to chart the trajectory of Zelenskyy's career from actor-comedian-producer to history teacher. elected President of Ukraine in the satirical TV series "Servant of the People", to a rising political star elected actual President of Ukraine in 2019.

However, following the outbreak of Russia's war against Ukraine, the project had to pivot to become more of a profile of a modern savvy hero. And a portrait of Penn as a chain-smoking, truth-seeking vigilante.

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