Paramount+ announced that the documentary Superpower will premiere Sept. 18 on the streaming service. Oscar-winning actor and longtime political activist Sean Penn made seven trips to Ukraine during the past two years for the project, with filming beginning months before the war began in late 2021. Penn, who co-directed the documentary along with Aaron Kaufman, traveled to Ukraine to learn more about Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
The film includes Penn venturing to the battle’s front lines and captures the moment when the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv was first attacked by Russian President Vladimir Putin’s bombs in February 2022, and the aftermath as Zelensky led Ukraine’s resistance. Penn spent the night of the first attack in Zelensky’s bunker. Penn also interviews veterans of the 2014 invasion and visits the front lines of the current war, and the citizens affected in their homes. He also talks to top Ukrainian, Polish and U.S. government officials.
Said Penn: “We set out to tell a lighthearted tale of this comedic actor who had been elected president of Ukraine and instead became witness to a historic leader and his country’s war for freedom. When you step into a country of such incredible unity, you realize what we (in the United States) have all been missing.”
Superpower was previously previewed as a work in progress at the Berlin International Film Festival; the completed film will premiere on Paramount+ on Monday, Sept. 18. Take a look at the trailer – here.
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